Apple users don’t have it easy when it comes to installing third-party applications. Usually, when iPhone owners want an app that’s not available on the official App Store, they have to download a jailbreak tool, such as Cydia.
However, jailbreaking can be a security risk, and Cydia has been mitigating in the last period and stopped permitting purchases the previous year.
A great alternative to the App Store is AltStore, an option that doesn’t need jailbreaking. AltStore is an open-source software, that was launched in preview mode a few years ago. The official release happened yesterday, on September the 28th.
AltStore, A Perfect Alternative To App Store
Whereas other App Store substitutes use enterprise certificates, which Apple has been constraining recently, AltStore uses a developer trait to sideload apps.
AltStore will release with two apps, namely Delta and Clip. The latter is a clipboard manager, but the official star will be Delta, which is a Nintendo emulator. Delta’s preview version can play NES ROM files, but the full variant will support NES, SNES, Game Boy, Game Boy advance, and also Nintendo 64 games.
This makes AltStore an easy option to get these games on your device because emulators are not accepted in the official App Store.
AltStore has a different way of functioning, which requires its certificates to be renewed once a week.
However, a companion part of software dubbed AltServer can be installed on Mac or Windows to automate this action. You also need AltServer to download, install, and send apps to the smartphone via Wi-Fi.
People are somehow expecting Apple to take actions against AltStore. This remains to be seen. AltStore developer, Riley Testut, is sparkling optimism when talking about the future of the software. He explained in a blog post that the method he utilizes would be difficult for Apple to shut down.
“Everything I’m doing, Apple is doing themselves,” Testut said.
