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

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

#51

Post by realusername »

nerdjon wrote: post #29
realusername wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> So how exactly does this benefit users again and isn't all about appeasing developers? You can blame Apple here, by adding a fee per install, if you choose to go outside the appstore, you pretty much have to remove the free appstore option otherwise why would anybody use the other one? The weird economics Apple has created discourages using both.

Clearly though they are fine with charging a yearly fee to access the store. So why not just charge for the app in the EU IF that really is the problem here. Give users that choice, that is all I am asking for here. Actually give users a choice instead of removing the choice from them. Which at this point in time, that choice is being removed from the user.

It's not that they are fine with charging, it's that they have no choice, they are charging the bare minimum to cover the new Apple fees.

Sure they could create a paid appstore option only in the EU (if that's not against the appstore guidelines somehow, I don't know) but that might not align well with their strategy.

Additionally I also feel it would kind of be a bad PR on their side as well to charge more on the appstore in the EU.

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

#52

Post by kernal »

talldayo wrote: post #19
lxgr wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

There's a sad bit of irony that the year is 2024 and the game console in your pocket could feasibly run anything you want, but the OEM region-locked it again.

Most, if not all, emulators ignore / bypass region locking. I've yet to come across any emulator that strictly enforces it

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

#54

Post by kernal »

tapoxi wrote: post #22
lycos wrote: post #9

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.

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?

Not a chance. This is Apple making their users stick with the App Store as their only store.

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

#55

Post by moritz64 »

nerdjon wrote: post #8
daveidol wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Really? I can’t find it on the US store currently

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/delta-game-emulator/id10485246... It is there. According to the verge it is also identical: https://www.theverge.com/2024/4/17/24132984/delta-free-emula... Curious why it is not available in the EU on the App Store (if it really isn't, I can't confirm)

Just tried, it is not available in the German App Store

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

#57

Post by SllX »

davelondon wrote: post #56

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

Outside the EU?

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

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

#58

Post by herrkanin »

nerdjon wrote: post #50
pfg_ wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why did they do that? Did they just decide to after 6 years randomly with no inciting incident? Or did they decide to because they were being forced to allow alternative app stores which would allow emulator installation anyway?

Probably, and I am not arguing that. I think it is important to point out that clearly there could be improvements to the App Store without opening it wide open. However, this has nothing to do with my core problem here of now in the EU having no choice but to use an alternative store. When every other country can just download it from the App Store. My problem here is not that alternative store exist. my problem is…

- Alternative app marketplaces become allowed.

- Apple sees emulators as a potential market for alternative app stores and proactively chooses to allow them in the Apple App Store.

- This is a clear example of how competition in the app market place being a positive thing.

- Developer creates an alternative app marketplace, with an emulator as one of its main apps on launch, realizing the competition that forced Apple to update their rules to allow emulators in their own store.

I'm sorry you feel forced to download a separate app store, but don't you see how you in the end are benefitting from this change even without using the AltStore? Give it some time and you will probably have another emulator in the app store you can choose to download.

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

#60

Post by pfg_ »

nerdjon wrote: post #50
pfg_ wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why did they do that? Did they just decide to after 6 years randomly with no inciting incident? Or did they decide to because they were being forced to allow alternative app stores which would allow emulator installation anyway?

Probably, and I am not arguing that. I think it is important to point out that clearly there could be improvements to the App Store without opening it wide open. However, this has nothing to do with my core problem here of now in the EU having no choice but to use an alternative store. When every other country can just download it from the App Store. My problem here is not that alternative store exist. my problem is…

This is a little bit apple's fault - if any app is distributed outside the app store, the developer now has to pay a fee per-install even for installs from the app store (50¢ per install!). He could have chosen not to put Delta in AltStore and only put it in the app store, then it could be free on the app store. Either way, you don't get a choice. You install from the app store, or you install from AltStore, but it can't be on both because of apple policy. This is what apple wants, and is why the fee exists. Hopefully it violates the DMA and they'll be forced to change that.
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