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The first third-party iOS app store launched today in the European Union after Apple was forced to open up its software ecosystem to comply with the Digital Markets Act (DMA).AltStore PAL describes itself as “an Apple-approved alternative app marketplace in the EU,” says Riley Testut, an iOS developer who created the AltStore platform. The launch marks a new era for iOS in the EU, where the DMA requires major tech companies to open up their platforms. As a result, Apple agreed to allow third-party vendors to offer their own iOS app stores in the region—but under strict and controversial conditions.
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In AltStore’s case, the platform is targeting indie software developers looking for a free way to distribute iOS apps. “All apps are welcome, but I believe AltStore makes the most sense for smaller, indie apps that otherwise couldn’t exist due to App Store rules,” Testut says.For now, AltStore PAL only hosts two apps: a clipboard manager and Delta, a Nintendo emulator from Testut, which is also available on Apple’s App Store.Although Delta will be free to users on AltStore, Testut requires anyone who installs AltStore on their iPhone to first pay a €1.50 annual fee. That’s due to Apple’s controversial decision to impose a “Core Technology Fee,” which requires alternative iOS app stores in the EU “to pay €0.50 for each first annual install per year over a 1 million threshold.”According to Testut, “this means every download of AltStore costs us €0.50, period,” because Apple isn’t waiving the €0.50 fee for third-party app stores. “This is clearly unsustainable for a free app supported entirely by donations,” he adds. So AltStore has to pass the fee onto users. “We’ve done the math—a lot of math—and €1.50 is just enough to cover the CTF (+ payment processing) for our apps,” Testut says. “This obviously isn’t ideal, but our priority is making sure we run AltStore sustainably so that developers can confidently distribute their apps with us — and this ensures we can pay Apple’s CTF no matter how many users we get.”
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AltStore already existed as an alternative iOS app store prior to this launch. But using it required consumers to jump through several hoops that essentially sideloaded the app store on an iPhone or iPad as a developer mode function. Although the old version of AltStore will remain, Testut decided to create AltStore PAL as a way for iOS developers to ensure their apps get published, even though Apple itself may have rejected them from the official iOS App Store. “This is about all the indie developers who’ve ever received a phone call telling them their app is rejected, but not telling them how to fix it; all the high schoolers who couldn’t release their app because it ‘wasn’t good enough’; all the startups who missed their launch dates due to Apple requesting yet another resubmission,” Testut says. “My hope is that AltStore can pressure Apple into caring about indies more simply by being the best indie app marketplace it can be.”Although AltStore is the first third-party iOS app store for the EU, it won’t be the last. Epic Games also plans on launching its own iOS app store for Europe, after legal tussles with Apple on app distribution in the US.
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