Tag: sideloading

Altstore PAL With Annual Subscription, Free Delta Nintendo Emulator Launched in Europe

Altstore PAL was launched in Europe on Wednesday as the first third party iPhone app store — or alternative app marketplace, as Apple calls it. Users who live in Europe and want to access apps that are not available via the official App Store, can now install Altstore PAL after updating their iPhone to iOS 17.4. However, thanks to Apple’s mandatory Core Technology Fee (CTF), customers will have to pay a small annual fee to access the first third-party app store to arrive in the region.

Developer Riley Testut shared details of the Altstore PAL app marketplace in a blog post, stating that the open source app currently offers two applications — a Nintendo emulator called Delta and Clip, a clipboard manager. The former will be free to download via Altstore PAL, while the latter will require a minimum donation of EUR 1 (roughly Rs. 90) or more, according to the developer.

The new Altstore PAL won’t have Apple’s content restrictions (you can’t download a torrent client or via Apple’s App Store on iOS) and will also allow developers to distribute apps with Patreon, by specifying a minimum pledge amount that unlocks access to an app. Testut says the platform won’t take commissions on donations received via Patreon, and developers can use the Patreon income to pay Apple’s CTF fee that kicks in after 1 million downloads.

In order to install Altstore PAL, users who live in the EU will need to update their iPhone to iOS 17.4, then pay EUR 1.50 (roughly Rs. 135) — an annual subscription that allows the project to pay Apple’s CTF, Testut says. Users who don’t want to fork out the annual fee as well as those who live outside the EU) can sideload apps using a computer (using the original Altstore app) and refreshing them every seven days.

Unlike users, developers won’t have to pay to host their apps on Altstore PAL, and there’s no commission for Patreon donations. Testut says that once Apple has notarised an app, the processed “alternative distribution packet” (ADP) must be uploaded to the developer’s server. They must then create and upload a JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) file that contains metadata about the app, so that users can include the same source in the Altstore PAL app to begin downloading and updating that app.  

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iOS 17.5 Beta 2 Brings Supports for Installing iPhone Apps via Websites: Report

iOS 17.5 Beta 2 was rolled out to beta testers on Tuesday, along with new functionality and features that are expected to make their way to eligible iPhone models next month. One of the most notable changes arriving with iOS 17.5 will be the ability to install apps directly from websites for users in the European Union, making it easier for developers to distribute apps without what Apple calls alternative app marketplaces as well as the App Store As with the recently introduced changes related to third party app stores, the ability to download apps from websites will only be available in the EU.

MacRumors discovered the ability to download apps directly from websites has been introduced on the second iOS 17.5 beta that was released on Tuesday. Last month, Apple rolled out iOS 17.4 which introduced support for alternative app marketplaces in the EU, while the next update will expand sideloading by allowing users to visit a developer’s website to install apps outside the App Store.

Last month, Apple announced it was working on a new web distribution feature designed to allow users to directly download apps from developer websites in the EU. The company calls it Web Distribution, and it will allow authorised developers to distribute their apps via their websites, while having access to iOS application programming interfaces (APIs) for backup and restore support, along with iOS integration, and automatic updates without using an app store.

It’s worth noting that all developers won’t automatically be eligible for Web Distribution. Apple previously stated it will require developers to be part of its developer program for two years, have one app with at least one million downloads in the EU, and be enrolled as an organisation (or have a subsidiary legal entity) that is “incorporated, domiciled, and or registered in the EU.” 

Even if developers choose to distribute their apps via their website using Web Distribution, Apple has also stated that it will charge them a Core Technology Fee (CTF) of EUR 0.50 (roughly Rs. 45) for every annual app install over one million. The company will exempt non-profit organisations from the CTF fees and the Apple Developer Program membership fee in the EUU.

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Apple Plans to Review Sideloaded iOS Apps, Charge Developers for Downloads Outside App Store: Report

Apple is expected to enable support for sideloading apps on iOS by March 6 to comply with the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), and details of the company’s plans to deal with the changes are now emerging. While the company is yet to announce when support for installing applications outside the App Store will be allowed in the EU, a report states that the company will set up processes to review — and possibly charge developers for — these apps.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Apple plans to enable support for sideloading iOS apps in the EU but will also implement new methods to review apps that are installed outside the App Store. While the iPhone maker currently has full control over how apps are distributed on its smartphones — including vetting and reviewing individual app updates — that is set to change in March when users in the EU will be able to install applications outside the App Store.

It is currently unclear how Apple will restrict apps that are not distributed outside the App Store, but the company uses a security mechanism called Gatekeeper that enforces code signing and download verification of apps downloaded outside the macOS App Store. Apple can technically revoke the certificates for malicious apps, preventing them from running on a user’s device. It is also unclear how Apple plans to review apps that are sideloaded by users on iOS.

The report also states that Apple is considering charging developers for apps sideloaded outside the App Store. The iPhone maker collects between 27 percent to 30 percent of all app purchases and in-app purchases (IAPs) on the App Store, and the company is expected to lose out on the revenue from app developers who choose to distribute their apps outside the App Store.

It remains to be seen whether Apple will enable support for sideloading with the arrival of iOS 17.4 in the coming weeks or whether the functionality can be enabled with the existing code on iOS 17.3 that was rolled out earlier this week. As the DMA deadline approaches, we can expect to learn more about Apple’s plans to deal with iOS app sideloading in the EU in the coming weeks. 

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