Image credit: AltStore
Following changes in iOS 17.4 and legislation allowing them, the first new alternative app store has launched in The EU promises to help distribute “indie apps” for a small annual fee.
AltStore PAL announced on Wednesday that it is officially launching as an alternative to the Apple App Store in the European Union. It bills itself as an “open source app store for independent developers.”
According to the developers, distributing applications through AltStore PAL is completely free, and developers are given the opportunity to distribute them to loyal customers through the built-in integration with Patreon. He also notes that there is no manual review process.
The coolest alternative app marketplace in Europe is HERE!
Introducing AltStore PAL — Apple approved version of AltStore, EU exclusive
Download now from our website for just $1.50 per year (+ VAT) https://t.co/3ZfYbq4QNU pic.twitter.com/D5cbkWhi7l
— AltStore.io (@altstoreio) April 17, 2024
At launch, AltStore PAL will have two applications: Delta and Clip. Delta is a universal Nintendo emulator from AltStore that emulates, among others, games for the NES, SNES, Game Boy, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS and Nintendo 64.
Clip is a clipboard manager for iOS, which can run in the background indefinitely, listening for changes to the clipboard and saving trimmed content for later use.
While the creator says any app is welcome on the platform, he believes that “AltStore is best suited for small, independent apps that might not otherwise exist due to App Store rules.”
“There are countless examples like this that are banned from the App Store for one reason or another; we just don't know about them because there was never a way for these bad apps to spread.”
Users wishing to try out AltStore PAL will have to pay €1.50 plus additional VAT fees per year. It can be downloaded from AltStore.io.
Apple now allows alternative app stores in the European Union. This change has been made to comply with the recently passed Digital Marketplace Act. Currently, alternative app markets do not operate outside the EU.
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