Big changes are coming to the iOS App Store for users in the European Union (EU), as Apple has announced that it will soon begin allowing third-party app stores to distribute apps to users from a number of European countries. And now we’ve got our first look at what these stores could look like.
AltStore, an existing provider of “sideloaded” apps, has announced that it is working on bringing its own alternative app store to iOS. This will move the store out of its current gray area of providing unofficial apps and transform it into what its developer calls “legitimate app market“.
AltStore currently offers a number of apps that do not comply with Apple’s existing App Store policies. For example, it houses Delta, a Nintendo game console emulator, and UTM, a virtual machine that lets you run Linux, Windows, and more on iOS.
AltStore’s developer hasn’t described exactly what changes he plans to make, but one difference is likely to be in the installation process. Right now you need to install the server app on your Mac or Windows PC, then connect your iOS device and install the app store from your computer.
Once Apple approves AltStore as a “legitimate app marketplace,” you’ll likely be able to simply download the AltStore app directly to your iPhone, without a lengthy workaround. In theory, this will mean the ability to download any app you want, including those that don’t comply with Apple’s own App Store guidelines.
You’ll also be able to set apps like AltStore (assuming it gets approved) as your iPhone’s default app store and manage them in Settings. As Apple states in its explanation of the app changes, “users can manage their marketplace developer whitelist and their marketplace apps in Settings and remove them at any time.”
Your default third-party app store will integrate with some iPhone features like Spotlight to help you find and use apps. But deleting that non-Apple App Store will also delete “all associated data from the device and stop updates for apps from that store.”
Seismic change is coming to your apps
A significant change in Apple’s App Store policy will be implemented in iOS 17.4, which is currently in beta and should be fully released in March.
Anyone in the EU will be able to install apps from third-party stores, and any developer will be able to publish their own app store as long as they meet Apple’s anti-fraud, customer support and experience requirements and can provide a €1 million credit note confirming their ability to guarantees customer support. However, despite the potential for the move to change the way European users get their apps, there are a few snags.
For example, Apple says that the restrictions you place on in-app purchases using iOS’s Screen Time feature won’t work in third-party app stores. Likewise, family sharing of purchases will be limited, as will the Ask to Buy feature, while universal purchases – where the apps you buy work on different Apple platforms – won’t be available. This is because Apple won’t enable payments in third-party stores, so they won’t be able to implement these features. The company also says it won’t be able to help customers with refunds, purchase history, managing subscriptions and more.
Apple fought tooth and nail against this change, but was forced into its hands by the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), which from March onwards will start imposing heavy fines on companies that don’t open up their platforms. Apple says the move is likely to allow “new avenues for malware, scams and fraud, illegal and harmful content and other threats to privacy and security,” and that it will not lift its App Store restrictions anywhere outside the EU. It’s possible that the company can even prevent you from bypassing geolocation restrictions using a VPN as well.
However, opening up iOS in this way could lead to some more positive changes. Web browsers on iOS won’t be forced to use Apple’s WebKit engine, for example, and users will have more ability to change their default browser. Payment apps will also gain access to Apple’s NFC system, which could mean that contactless alternatives to Apple Pay are starting to emerge.
With the EU breathing down its neck, Apple has been forced to reluctantly make these changes. That could prompt other jurisdictions around the world to consider enacting their own app store laws, finally punching a hole through Apple’s long-standing walled garden. That might be something for the future – for now, AltStore has shown us what that future might look like.