AltStore PAL, the first alternative app marketplace on iPhone, is available now

[DavideNL]

Links to announcement from AltStore themselves:

- https://fosstodon.org/@altstore/112287538562764439

- https://fosstodon.org/@altstore/112287558511134794

[lapcat]

"For developers who choose to agree to the new business terms, membership in the Apple Developer Program includes one million first annual installs per year for free for apps distributed from the App Store, Web Distribution, and/or alternative marketplaces."

https://developer.apple.com/support/core-technology-fee/

This is what some commenters here don't understand when they criticize the developer for not offering a free App Store version in the EU. Once a developer distributes outside the App Store in the EU, Apple applies the CTF to everything the developer distributes in the EU, whether inside or outside the App Store. Financially, there's no way that they could offer a free version in the EU.

Also note: "Developers of alternative app marketplaces will pay the Core Technology Fee for every first annual install of their app marketplace, including installs that occur before one million."

[threeseed]

There is nothing stopping you having multiple developer accounts.

And there is the option of setting up a non-profit which removes the CTF.

It seems much more like the aim is to drive usage towards the AltStore.

[davelondon]

I signed up, paid €1.50 and was only then told I wasn't eligible. I can imagine they're going to be doing a lot of €1.50 refunds

[SllX]

Outside the EU?

Looks like they make it incredibly easy to pay with no pre-verification, so yeah, probably a lot of refunds.

[darknavi]

How do I request a refund, I am in the same boat...

[depaulagu]

Same here...

[phantompeace]

Hmm, my Apple ID is set to the UK, i paid using a UK card (Monzo), whilst connected to my home VPN (tunnelled) but currently abroad on holiday in Asia and it’s telling me I need to physically be in the EU to install it…

[m463]

No matter what apple says about privacy being a right, they don't let your location be private to their business.

I remember years ago turning off location services on my iphone, and finding my iphone connecting to .ls.apple.com all the time (location services).

I just think people don't want to give up control. They just trick/force/wear down people/customers until they give up their* control.

It's too bad. I remember reading Matt Ridley's "the rational optimist" I think he said that when trading partners have trust, trading is unlimited.

If I was treated with respect by apple, I would have trust and buy all kinds of things from them. Instead, I have to do this careful calculus, with devices, upgrades, apps and usually do not.

[ktosobcy]

Would that even work in the UK considering Brexit el al?

Besides Apple already mentioned that it's location based and if you go out of the EU you will only have about month of "trial" to use the apps... Apple can go to hell :D

[basisword]

Have you forgotten...brexit? We no longer get to enjoy the benefits of the EU.

[TiredOfLife]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brexit

[KeplerBoy]

The UK hasn't been part of the EU for quite some time now.

[madeofpalk]

Well, UK isn't in the EU.

[DRW_]

Have you been abroad since before June 23rd 2016?

[polski-g]

You need a faraday cage and a GPS spoof.

[rwbt]

Love the 'PAL' reference - just like how many in North America were pining for the PAL video standard (initially Europe but later entire world except North America) but we were stuck with NTSC (and doubled down).

[lxgr]

On the other hand, many cool games never made it to the PAL region, and a lot of PAL ports (and video releases) got technically botched in some way.

[giobox]

Really? As someone who grew up with PAL, we were pining for your 60fps NTSC output, especially in fast games like beatem-ups etc (PAL is 50).

I still remember the first time I saw an imported Japanese PS1 playing Teken 2, and how much smoother it looked on NTSC. I could never look at my PAL copy the same way again, I couldn't unsee the NTSC version. For me personally, those extra 10 frames trump the extra 100 scanlines in PAL etc.

[tombert]

Isn't Japan also NTSC as well?

[toast0]

I always wanted to watch movies just a bit faster. (and yes, with more consistent color, and a higher vertical resolution)

Although, I'm sure US commercial TV stations frame drop movies to speed them up so they can insert more commercials these days anyway.

[grishka]

No SECAM though so it would only be in black and white in France.

[lycos]

Delta for free in the regular App Store everywhere but the EU where we have to download a paid app store to install it, so it begins.

[tapoxi]

Don't you find the timing of them suddenly allowing emulators suspicious? If it weren't for that alt app store, would the U.S. app store have emulators at all?

[littlestymaar]

Until recently (that is, until today), Delta wasn't even available in the app store to begin with. And most likely it and that would still be without the alternative store, since Apple is only eventually allowing it to make a point.

[tomduncalf]

Why is it not available in the EU? Is this just the Delta developer wanting to promote/push people to their App Store, or is there some other reason e.g. Apple don’t allow the app in the EU? I’m a bit confused why it would be on alternative store at all, if Apple now allow these apps… can someone ELI5?

(I’m in the UK so can download from the App Store, finally a benefit of you-know-what lol)

[nerdjon]

Right?

This is exactly what I have been worried about and people tried to explain to tell me that, no this doesn't remove choice from me as a user.

When in fact it does, if I was in the EU (and if the US does something similar, likely here) if I wanted to download this I would have to use their store. The choice is being made for me by the developer.

It didn't take long to already have an example of this happening and bigger companies will likely follow suit.

So how exactly does this benefit users again and isn't all about appeasing developers?

[daveidol]

Is there any plan to distribute Delta via the App Store in the US now that emulators are officially allowed?

Or is Delta being used mainly as the incentive to use AltStore?

[lxgr]

It's already there (everywhere except in the EU, apparently)!

[pretext-1]

There seems to be an issue with the download. After purchasing it redirects to a download page but when clicking on download nothing happens. Other users on Reddit are reporting this too. Hope it gets fixed or refunded.

[roblabla]

I had the same problem. I had to long press the download button and open in a new tab for it to do anything. It then showed the popup saying I needed to allow installation of the app in the settings before long-pressing download again.

[dgellow]

Same issue here on an iPhone SE. Also tried on an iPad, where I got a pop up “you can only install this marketplace on an iPhone”, which is disappointing.

[masfuerte]

Offtopic: a while ago the mastodon web interface changed so you had to enable javascript to see anything. I stopped reading mastodon links. I've just noticed that the server will cough up the post if you add "/embed" to the url. For the fine article:

https://mastodon.social/@stroughtonsmith/112287515017810339/...

[uyzstvqs]

Honestly, if you're remotely interested in installing this then just get an Android phone and get real side-loading.

AltStore is more like a franchise of the App Store where Apple is still in charge, but doesn't directly run it.

What's funny is that here in Europe where this AltStore now exists, Android is clearly far more common than Apple already anyway.

[M4v3R]

> just get an Android phone

I hope you're joking. If you're an Apple user that's invested in their ecosystem "just getting an Android phone" could probably mean changing the way you do many things, resigning from services you were used to,, learning how to do things on the other side, and so on. That also applies when switching from Android to iPhone. It's just not that easy.

[adolph]

Positioning it as “Altstore” as in “alternative store” instead of “awesome store” seems like weak branding.

[topherPedersen]

When will third party app stores be available in the United States?

[aprilnya]

Apple is only doing this because the EU forced them to, so unless the US forces them to as well, it will never happen. App Store is Apple's golden goose and they would never give even a slice of it up voluntarily

[bogwog]

When the DOJ kicks their ass in court (unless Trump wins and replaces DOJ/FTC leadership with incompetent clowns again)

[tdsanchez]

Cydia was the first alternate app store.

[lantonmills]

You're forgetting Installer.app, which predated Cydia! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Installer.app

[aprilnya]

This is specifically talking about alternate app stores through Apple's new official way of doing it. If we're talking about alternate app stores in general, even AltStore itself was before AltStore PAL

[aptgetrekt]

*Cydia was the first app store [on iPhones]

[EcommerceFlow]

I wonder if Cydia would be allowed on the new alternative app marketplace...