Can’t wait to have to download 20 different marketplaces with UX all uglier than the last
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AltStore. The first Apple approved alternative App Store
31–40 of 95 posts
Re: AltStore. The first Apple approved alternative App Store
#32Unfortunately paying Apple’s extortion fee might provide ammo to legitimize it.
I really can't imagine any circumstance where the European Commission is ok with Apple charging competitors for the privilege of competing with them, in a market explicitly mandated by the DMA.
AltStore or Epic complying with Apple's current dubious terms makes no real difference.
Re: AltStore. The first Apple approved alternative App Store
#33Earlier quoted context omitted.
Your comparison is pointless (I've been using F-Droid for almost a decade, and that's where I get most "serious" Android utilities today - like Termux and various UI tweaks I can't do without). I am fine with hacking Android (and running emulators on it) because I don't rely on it for work, IM, family or work stuff. It's just a sandbox for me. But I would have liked to have Delta (and paid for it) on iOS, because tha…
That's a shame. It's just free software, there should be no reason why you can't just put it on your phone if you have the code and want to approve it. Maybe Apple should re-draft the App Store conditions to better accommodate Free Software if this is the sort of business they'd like to attract. If not, oh well, it's only the users that have to suffer. > I'll just wait until RetroArch (or someone else) ships on iOS.…
You must be new to mobile, and Apple, and notarisation. I can build and install it myself, but even with a developer account it's a hassle. The key problem with iOS app distribution isn't alternate app stores--it's enabling end users to run their own apps on their own devices without timeouts or jumping through hoops, and nobody seems interested in fixing that.
Re: AltStore. The first Apple approved alternative App Store
#34Can someone give me examples of good apps other than emulators?
I think by design of the ecosystem it makes the most sense for apps that can't be on the main store.
That would be emulators, uncensored social media, probably apps that do not meet the NSFW policy of the App Store... that kind of thing.
I'm not sure we'll see user-enabling apps for proprietary services like newpipe, because it's still a store, so corporate censorship is to be expected. In that sense, it is far inferior to a true, no store, side-loading ability like on Android, where you can freely install any application you want.
I've managed to get almost all my apps (sans Google apps and banking) to autoupdate through Obtainium on Android. It really feels like the future.
Re: AltStore. The first Apple approved alternative App Store
#35What specific apps might this app store distribute that Apple's won't? Apple's insistent that third party app stores enforce Apple's content restrictions IMHO defeats the purpose of the third party app store mechanism.
Apple changed the rule to allow Gameboy emulators on the App Store days before the Alt Store went live. So even if you don't install the Alt Store, that's already a benefit for everyone.
Competition is a good thing.
Re: AltStore. The first Apple approved alternative App Store
#36Seems this requires an AppleID. So is there no way to sideload without one?
Re: AltStore. The first Apple approved alternative App Store
#37Apple must be delighted to see this.. Because it's an awful UX
yes, quite a few hoops to jump through to get something working. Back in the day, I went through massive effort to jailbreak my iPhone, void the warranty, and use the Cydia app store (amazing that this whole community operated for free). But slowly the vanilla iPhone experience got good enough that I didn't need to jailbreak anymore, or at least it wasn't worth the effort. And the community died down as well. Interes…
I guess community of it died also because of how difficult/rare jailbreaks got, with some significant time of droughts between jailbreaks. Also jailbreaks had too many downsides; some apps would be too invasive, crash the Springboard, some secure apps (bank etc) wouldn't run, iirc updates weren't possible or hard to do, "tethered" jailbreaks required restoring them each time you reboot etc. etc. Too much day-to-day fighting against the system at the end.
Alternative stores OTOH have a lot more promise, if Apple can't manage to kill them through malicious compliance. They have a lower barrier of entry, and most downsides of JB don't apply either.
Re: AltStore. The first Apple approved alternative App Store
#38What does “Apple approved” mean? I know Apple has heavy handed curation, for example requiring various forms of moderation / censorship of social media apps. Can these stores offer whatever they want? Also what’s with that fee? Why aren’t phones forced to operate like traditional operating systems? Apple shouldn’t be allowed to charge fees for people to install software on devices they own.
Knowing Apple I'd personally be concerned about retribution from them. I feel like something else completely unrelated on my device will stop functioning because I'm a user of the app store.
But you'll never be able to prove it
Like my iPhone 12 getting slower and worse battery with each iOS release even with a new battery...
Re: AltStore. The first Apple approved alternative App Store
#39What does “Apple approved” mean? I know Apple has heavy handed curation, for example requiring various forms of moderation / censorship of social media apps. Can these stores offer whatever they want? Also what’s with that fee? Why aren’t phones forced to operate like traditional operating systems? Apple shouldn’t be allowed to charge fees for people to install software on devices they own.
I'm no expert on the matter, but this is what Apple says:
> All apps listed on alternative app marketplaces are submitted to a Notarization process with Apple. Notarization is a baseline review that applies to all apps, regardless of their distribution channel, focused on platform policies for security and privacy and to maintain device integrity. Through a combination of automated checks and human review, Notarization helps ensure apps are free of known malware, viruses, or other security threats, function as promised, and don’t expose users to egregious fraud. Apple does not enforce the App Store's high standards for business practices and content on apps distributed through alternative app marketplaces.
So what I understand is that it's a baseline check for security, technical issues etc. Content moderation doesn't seem to be a part of it.
Re: AltStore. The first Apple approved alternative App Store
#40Can someone give me examples of good apps other than emulators?
I think by design of the ecosystem it makes the most sense for apps that can't be on the main store. That would be emulators, uncensored social media, probably apps that do not meet the NSFW policy of the App Store... that kind of thing. I'm not sure we'll see user-enabling apps for proprietary services like newpipe, because it's still a store, so corporate censorship is to be expected. In that sense, it is far infer…
Apple requires Alt stores only distribute apps suitable for all audiences (age 4+), so NSFW is out.