This is your first look at the EU’s first third-party iPhone App Store

With the release of iOS 17.4, Apple has finally opened up the iPhone to third-party app stores, at least in the EU. This means that users can download apps from sources other than the Apple App Store. Companies like Epic Games and MacPaw (Setapp) are preparing to bring their own app stores to the iPhone, and now AltStore has also unveiled its iPhone version in Europe.

Connected

5 Key Facts About Sideloading Apps on iPhone After iOS 17.4 Update

Here are five essential things you need to understand about installing apps from non-App Store sources on your iPhone after updating to iOS 17.4.

The store was developed by Riley Testut of AltStore, which already has the same third-party app platforms for macOS and Windows. AltStore for iPhone will likely be available for download from Testut’s AltStore page, but the app is currently awaiting Apple approval. Once approved, it will likely be one of the first third-party app stores available in the EU following the iOS 17.4 update.

However, installing AltStore on your iPhone is not as easy as installing apps. According to Callum Booth from The Verge, you first go to the company’s website and start by clicking on the website to load the alternative store. Then your iPhone will give you a pop-up message saying that your device’s installation settings do not currently allow this developer’s marketplaces. Then head to settings, enable the marketplace, return to your browser and click the AltStore download link again to complete the installation. You can then open the AltStore and browse the available apps.

Fortunately, the process of installing apps through AltStore will be simple. It works similarly to the App Store: just go to the app details page and hit “install” and the app will download. AltStore also allows you to add “sources” for apps, meaning you’ll be able to add multiple “app stores” within AltStore. Or as Booth describes it as “a little Inception-esque: a store within a store.”

The ability to add app store sources won’t be available at launch, but Testut says the company plans to roll out the feature soon after the initial release. For now, AltStore offers a number of its own apps that aren’t available on Apple’s App Store, like Delta, a game emulator that lets you play Nintendo and SEGA console games from the past. Another notable application is Clip, which serves as a clipboard manager.

It remains to be seen how actively Europeans embrace third-party app stores, but it’s important to note that apps available on these platforms are still vetted by Apple. This means that third-party apps will still undergo basic security checks to detect and prevent malware, viruses and other threats. AltStore’s Clip had to be tweaked before it was made available on a third-party app store, so third-party app stores aren’t inherently risky. But the truth is that they do not provide the same level of security as Apple’s App Store.

• 

  iPhone 15

  The iPhone 15 comes with a 6.1-inch OLED screen with a new Dynamic Island, a dual camera, new colors and a USB Type-C port. It’s powered by the Apple A16 Bionic chip, and it’s the most affordable high-end iPhone you can get today.

• 

  iPhone 15 Pro

  The iPhone 15 Pro is Apple’s new flagship model of the Pro series. It is equipped with the new Apple A17 Pro chipset and 8 GB of RAM. It comes in new colors, has an even more powerful camera setup and a refined design.

• 

  iPhone 15 Pro Max

  The iPhone 15 Pro Max is the latest and greatest smartphone in Apple’s lineup. The smartphone is powered by the latest Apple A17 Pro chipset, along with 8GB of RAM. It has a more refined titanium body that makes it lighter and more comfortable, and it has a new periscope telephoto camera.