AltStore PAL, the first third-party app marketplace for iOS, now lets users install apps created by independent developers. The change, which arrived Wednesday in AltStore PAL version 2.1, makes previously restricted apps available to iPhone owners in the European Union.
“This means apps that have been rejected by the App Store — such as torrenting apps and virtual machines — have another path forward for the first time ever,” Riley Testut, developer of AltStore, told Cult of Mac.
The update is launching with a few third-party apps available now — iTorrent, qBitControl and PeopleDrop — “apps that are only possible with AltStore PAL,” according to Testut.
AltStore PAL, a European app store making a global impact
Photo: Riley Testut
Support for alternatives to Apple’s App Store is required by the European Union’s Digital Markets Act. Apple announced its plans to comply with the DMA in January. The changes appeared in iOS 17.4 in March.
AltStore PAL was the first alternative app marketplace to launch, and it made a big splash. Although it is only available in EU member countries, the competition has driven Apple to loosen its App Store rules globally — allowing video game console emulators and the UTM virtualization tool for the first time.
Now supporting third-party apps and app sources
AltStore PAL offers a few different ways to install third-party apps. The Delta game emulator and Clip clipboard manager are available directly from the store. With today’s update, users can browse through Recommended Sources, which are personally chosen by Testut. Users also can easily add third-party sources by pasting in a URL. Becoming a self-published source looks easy, thanks to the detailed documentation on the AltStore website.
A key feature of AltStore is that it supports all kinds of apps beyond what you can get in Apple’s own software store. App Store Review is notoriously strict and enforces its rules rather inconsistently.
Today’s announcement brings the following apps to AltStore PAL:
- iTorrent lets you torrent files onto your iPhone. The feature is commonly associated with TV and movie piracy, so Apple does not allow apps of this type on the App Store.
- qBitControl is a utility that lets your iPhone control a torrenting app running on a different computer.
- PeopleDrop is a social discovery app that lets you meet people in passing in public.
- UTM is a virtualization tool that lets you run Windows or Linux on your iOS device — also available on the App Store.
Apple still exerts a small amount of control — no matter what, third-party apps need to pass through Apple’s notarization process. Supposedly, this is a shorter hurdle that only screens for security, viruses and bugs. The DMA forbids Apple from screening for content or applying its own rules. However, this has not been the case, leading to further investigations by the European Commission.
Other third-party app marketplaces like AltStore PAL include Setapp Mobile by MacPaw and the highly anticipated Epic Games Store.
