AltStore PAL opens support for third-party iPhone apps in the EU

AltStore PAL – the alternative app marketplace for iPhone – is rolling out support for hosting third-party apps, it announced Wednesday via a social media post. The app’s latest update allows users in the European Union (EU) to sideload apps from other developers onto their iPhones by adding sources, including those that aren’t allowed on Apple’s App Store due to regulatory requirements. AltStore PAL will initially offer four new default third-party apps for users to download.

AltStore Third Party PAL Apps

In a after On decentralized social media platform Mastodon, the official AltStore account announced the 2.1 update of the app marketplace. It brings third-party apps to the store, starting with four apps from “Recommended Sources”: UTM SE, qBitControl, iTorrent, and PeopleDrop.

According to the platform, users can now add more resources to AltStore PAL, in addition to the apps offered by the developer – Riley Testut. The new apps are said to be “explicitly reviewed” to meet security standards.

Third-party app sources on AltStore PAL
Photo credit: Mastodon/AltStore PAL

While UTM SE allows for virtual machines to be run on the iPhone, qBitControl will reportedly allow users to run torrents remotely on their home network. iTorrent is another torrent app that offers features such as Files app support and P2P file downloading. Meanwhile, PeopleDrop allows iPhone users to discover others nearby, similar to the StreetPass feature on the Nintendo 3DS. These apps join existing apps including Delta, the retro video game console emulator, and the Clip clipboard manager on the AltStore PAL.

The developer says that the app marketplace is being updated to the latest version in the background. Users just need to add the third-party developers from the Sources tab and the new apps will appear on the To leaf through screen.

The move builds on the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) legislation, which allows users in the region to sideload apps onto their iPhones from alternative marketplaces, rather than relying solely on Apple’s App Store. In essence, the DMA requires large tech companies, acting as “gatekeepers,” to offer their services to other companies and developers.

While Apple App Store head Phil Schiller spoke After the EU held a lengthy discussion in February about the privacy and security risks associated with allowing third-party app stores on the iPhone, several marketplaces have sprung up since the EU’s decision, including MacPaw’s Setapp.