Here is Your First Look at the First Third-Party iPhone App Store in the EU

With the release of iOS 17.4, Apple finally opened up the iPhone to third-party app stores, at least in the EU. This means users can download apps from sources other than Apple’s 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 version for iPhones in Europe.

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The store is developed by Riley Testut of AltStore, who 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 site, but the app is currently awaiting Apple’s approval. Once approved, it will likely be one of the first third-party app stores available in the EU after the iOS 17.4 update.

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

Thankfully, the process for installing apps through AltStore will be straightforward. It works similar to how App Store works: just go to the app info page and hit “install,” and the app will download. AltStore also allows you to add “sources” for apps, which means you will be able to add more “app stores” within the AltStore. Or as Booth describes this as “a little Inception-esque: stores within a store.”

The ability to add sources of app stores won’t be available at launch, but Testut says the company plans to introduce this feature shortly after the initial release. For now, AltStore offers a number of their own apps that are not available on Apple’s App Store, such as Delta, a gaming emulator that allows you to play Nintendo and SEGA console games from the past. Another notable app is Clip, which serves as a clipboard manager.

It remains to be seen how actively Europeans adopt third-party app stores, but it’s important to note that apps available on these platforms are still verified by Apple. This means the third-party apps will still undergo a baseline security check to detect and prevent malware, viruses, and other threats. AltStore’s Clip had to be tweaked before it was available on the third-party app store, so it’s not like third-party app stores are inherently risky. However, it is true that they don’t provide the same level of security as Apple’s App Store.

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