18 ms·

AltStore – An alternative app store for non-jailbroken iOS devices

302 points by murkle 5y ago

frusciante29 5y ago
it only needs my Apple ID and password?
pronoiac 5y ago
From their GitHub readme: > AltStore is an iOS application that allows you to sideload other apps (.ipa files) onto your iOS device with just your Apple ID. AltStore re-signs apps with your personal development certificate and sends them to a desktop app, AltServer, which installs the re-signed apps back to your device using iTunes WiFi sync. To prevent apps from expiring, AltStore will also periodically refresh your apps in the background when on the same WiFi as AltServer.
- gregoriol 5y ago
  It's really not new and it's just a signing trick, not an alternative Store as the name suggests It's also not practical as you need a desktop to install and also every now and then to keep the apps running...
  - simonh 5y ago
    It appears to be very practical for some people.
    - gregoriol 5y ago
      If as a user, you plan to use it for yourself, then re-signing is already possible and while this complex setup might make it easier, it's still a little bit unpractical. If you expect to distribute an app through this, then it's mostly a no-go as, except some very strange use-cases, no user will be willing to go for this to use your app.
      - mgsk 5y ago
        You like to speak for other people, huh?
  - asdfasgasdgasdg 5y ago
    Needing a desktop to install is not a deal breaker for a large fraction of users, even if it's not as convenient as having a phone-only solution. According to the FAQ, you don't also need to keep the (phone) apps running. Keeping the desktop app running doesn't seem like a problem.
- meibo 5y ago
  Note that this is also completely at Apple's whims, so if they ever decide to lock down their signing process or cut off non-developer IDs, the whole concept would fall through. It's a hack with a nice UI, really - which doesn't mean that it doesn't work quite well, just that it's unsustainable and annoying, especially with non-developer ID limitations.
  - vbezhenar 5y ago
    Even if developer fee would be required, it's better than nothing.
    - dartharva 5y ago
      Debatable if it's "better"; it's legitimately scummy to prevent/paywall people from running whatever software they want on their devices.
  - mrunseen 5y ago
    Well, kind of. Apple was able to kill Cydia Impactor (which is predecessor to AltStore) without breaking their “legitimate” code signing service. http://www.cydiaimpactor.com/ http://www.cydiaimpactor.com/
    - saagarjha 5y ago
      This is mostly because Cydia Impactor stopped having much effort put into it.
      - mrunseen 5y ago
        That’s true, but Apple did break it out of the blue after working for 5+ years. https://twitter.com/saurik/status/1196888477830221824 https://twitter.com/saurik/status/1196888477830221824
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
willis936 5y ago
I've used this in the past for gameboy emulators. It worked, but there is a constant game of cat and mouse. Apple is aware of this and tries to make it harder to happen, developer convenience be damned.
saagarjha 5y ago
Some discussion from several months ago: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25028786 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25028786
blairbeckwith 5y ago
AltStore is great. It’s honestly a fairly elegant solution, and Riley is constantly working on it and his Delta emulator which is equally impressive. If you have an always-on Mac to handle updates and refreshes, it’s been a near-seamless experience for me for over a year.
- joenot443 5y ago
  What other killer jailbroken apps are these days?
  - NegativeLatency 5y ago
    Provenance is a pretty solid emulator of many game systems but last I checked it wasn’t on the altstore
  - jjcon 5y ago
    Cercube which is basically equivalent to youtube vanced on android (no ads, background play, downloads etc) - its not on altstore (nothing really is) but you can use altstore to sideload it
- sp1rit 5y ago
  I wonder if you could "abuse" a service like GH Actions to replace an always-on Mac. I'm not an Apple user, so I don't know how feasible it is. But using such a (freely provided) service for something it wasn't meant to do is unethical, even tho I think it's a lot less unethical than mining crypto on it.
  - saagarjha 5y ago
    https://github.com/SignTools/ios-signer-service https://github.com/SignTools/ios-signer-service
xvector 5y ago
Can this be used to side load iOS apps onto a M1 Mac?
- irq 5y ago
  No
dkdbejwi383 5y ago
Wish the server supported ARM Linux so I could run it off an rpi
- lacqad 5y ago
  It is using iTunes sync so you’ll need to be running macOS or Windows.
  - NegativeLatency 5y ago
    I wonder if it would work in a VM install of Mac OS?
m3kw9 5y ago
Not sure if I want apps that can use all sorts of private APIs with zero impunity on my device. At least on the actual AppStore they get scanned. I wonder if they can provide such service?
- judge2020 5y ago
  AltStore itself doesn't even use any private APIs iirc, it just calls to the 'server' (a desktop running the companion daemon) when a user asks to install an app and the server uses the iTunes/Xcode wifi app development functionality to install user-signed apps OTA.
  - squeaky-clean 5y ago
    AltStore many not use any private APIs, but I believe OP's point is that AltStore also cannot guarantee what you are installing is not using a private API. Apple's app-store at least does some static analysis on the app to investigate what calls it will be making.
- kall 5y ago
  I'm not an expert on this. What's the extent of private APIs this can use that something on the App Store cannot? As I understand it, it's for things that could technically go on the app store, but don't because of apple policies. I would imagine emulators, bittorrent clients, a Sci-Hub reader... stuff like that. Apps cannot even use private entitlements like CarPlay or Zoom's split screen video permission, can they?
- alisonkisk 5y ago
  What's wrong with private APIs?
ThePhysicist 5y ago
iOS & iPadOS devices would be so awesome if they could just run arbitrary software. The new iPad Pro is more powerful than my Lenovo T-Series laptop, and I would totally buy one if I could actually run e.g. Linux on it. But unfortunately Apple deliberately cripples these devices. Really hope the EU will overthrow these hardware-facilitated software monopolies soon. The truth is Apple already makes quite sizeable profits with the hardware alone, so I think at least power users should be able to install arbitrary software on them. This whole "the hardware can only run software approved by us" is so ridiculous, really makes you wonder how companies doing this (not only Apple) can still get away with it. Imaging Tesla would restrict which roads you can drive your car on, because just using arbitrary roads that haven't been thoroughly reviewed by them for security and safety would be a risk to you. That's essentially what Apple is doing with hardware that's perfectly capable of running general-purpose software.
- judge2020 5y ago
  They're able to 'get away with it' since their profit models isn’t just the profit from the initial sale. If Apple didn't have their 30% cut of apps and in-app purchases, they would have to increase their margins on the product to make up for the years of income they otherwise would've gotten - I wouldn't be surprised if that meant a $500 increase since they're losing out on multiple years of income. It's the same for consoles - PS5 and Xbox Series consoles are quite literally sold at a lost or at-cost, and that miniscule amount they make off the consoles doesn't pay for the servers, software, or the margin they actually would want for engineering the hardware if they didn't lock purchases to their own stores and take 30% of those sales. The only difference between iOS devices and these is that you can see an upfront profit on the purchase for iOS devices, even if that doesn't include the margin Apple actually expects over the lifetime of the device. https://www.gamesradar.com/ps5-is-being-sold-at-a-loss-but-has-generated-record-gaming-revenue-for-sony/ https://www.gamesradar.com/ps5-is-being-sold-at-a-loss-but-h...
  - austhrow743 5y ago
    Apple doesn't target a particular level of profit that they refuse to exceed.
colechristensen 5y ago
What are the apps on these kinds of platforms that make the effort worthwhile?
- dt3ft 5y ago
  Given the disclaimer in the site footer, I’d guess nintendo emulators are amongst the available apps.
- dustyharddrive 5y ago
  in AltStore’s first-party repo: - There’s Clip, a clipboard manager that plays silent audio for backgrounding (something that wouldn’t be allowed in the App Store) and uses a notification extension to allow you to quickly save the current content of your clipboard. - Delta is a polished game system emulator — part of another category that isn’t allowed on the App Store. It’s also a distribution mechanism; one could host their own repo of apps. Also AltStore lets you sideload arbitrary IPA files (from backups or devs without a Dev Program membership, for instance). IMO AltStore is cool because it lets you use your iDevice more like a computer without breaking OS protections. (edit: formatting and added conclusion)
op00to 5y ago
Does anyone else have their work email on their phone? How could you even consider this if you use your phone for internal business?
- qwytw 5y ago
  How can someone consider installing any third party software on their desktop computer if they have any work related emails there?
- stu2b50 5y ago
  Having your work email on your phone shouldn't matter. Altstore uses the Mac's mail app to resign your apps when it's time to. Wouldn't recommend installing the server on your work computer, though. Apps on your phone are still fully sandboxed.
tailspin2019 5y ago
This looks great, but I think the website could be improved with a bit more explanation about what it actually is and who it's aimed at. EG. does this need an Apple Developer account? Do you need Xcode on the "Server" machine? I love the simple 3 images "explaining" the process but after that I'm still left with a lot of questions, which are not immediately addressed by the FAQs which seem to be worded with an assumption that you've already decided to install it. That said, it's open source, it looks cool, and it may be useful to me in the future!
3grdlurker 5y ago
As for me, I don’t share everyone else’s frustration with Apple’s tight control over its mobile devices because I don’t even think of them as fully-featured computers, as opposed to mere consumption devices, pocket internet browsers, or note-taking devices. I think it’s possible that people’s frustration is misplaced because they’re getting confused about the market positioning of Apple’s mobile devices versus Macs.
- fickel 5y ago
  You may not think it's a computer, users may not think it's a computer, Apple may not call it a computer, but that doesn't change the fact that it's a computer. It's only a phone in the same sense that a man crawling on the floor is a four-legged animal.
  - 3grdlurker 5y ago
    Okay, then iPhones and iPads are computers meant for a subset of the functionality of laptops and desktop computers. The point remains. If it isn’t designed and meant to be used the way you want, it’s simply not the device for you and you should seriously consider rooting a phone or tablet with a mobile OS that you can control down to the code level.
    - kaba0 5y ago
      As if there were all that many options to choose for. There is absolutely nothing inherent in iPhone devices that would preclude them from using them as general purpose computers. For the amount of money I payed for them, I would better be able to use it some more than a fancy feature phone with better cameras. Hell, they have killer hardwares.
neilsimp1 5y ago
This is a nice looking and elegant solution to an artificially created problem that shouldn't be there in the first place. Why not use an OS that doesn't treat it's users like crap?
- Jotra7 5y ago
  Shhhh you'll anger the Apple zombies.
- alisonkisk 5y ago
  Because the apps and hardware people want don't work on those other OSes.
960design 5y ago
HELL NO! Download an app to basically virtualize (allow complete tracking ) an application. iOS and now iPadOS have allowed direct “app”installs for 10 years. Progressive web applications currently could be written for most native applications and deployed on just about any platform.
- akmarinov 5y ago
  PWAs suck on iOS though. At the very least they delete your data after 10 days.
  - anshumankmr 5y ago
    I have had Whatsapp Web for months on my iPad. Doesn’t work that well, but I can reply to someone if I do not have my phone nearby. It doesn’t delete my data though, that’s for sure.,
    - akmarinov 5y ago
      Try not using it for 10 days
- ThatPlayer 5y ago
  PWAs are crippled by Apple's refusal to support browser features. Something as simple as a notification is impossible.
  - musicale 5y ago
    Google's vision: Web Party People! Web apps can (eventually) use all native APIs and device functionality. Apple's vision: VIPs Only! Full access to native APIs and all device functionality is only permitted from apps approved by Apple, and even then it's fairly strictly controlled. But you can stream games (e.g. Luna) and video in Safari if you want to. Fortunately nobody's forcing you to buy an iOS or Android device.
dimal 5y ago
Seems cool, but why not show the actual apps I can install using this? I’m not going to install it on my Mac just to find out there’s a bunch of stuff I don’t care about.
- NegativeLatency 5y ago
  Not only do you have to install it but it also installs a Mail.app plugin to get some data for signing or something.
mylons 5y ago
very cool.
pixxel 5y ago
> A home for apps that push the boundaries of iOS. What apps?! How can you go to all the trouble of creating this service and not show the apps.
jedberg 5y ago
The problem with an unofficial side load like this is that it can get around some of the built in protections of iOs that I actually like. It opens up attack vectors that Apple hasn't considered yet. I feel like with official side loading, Apple would be inclined to lock down what apps can do without explicit permission, or better yet, require more explicit permissions when an app is side loaded. Like make every API call require permission the first time it's called. I'm fine with it being difficult to side load, but I really want it to be official so that Apple at least considers those attack vectors (like they've been doing on MacOS).
- mjthompson 5y ago
  You don't have to use this app. If you don't want to open up these so-called attack vectors you can simply not use it.
  - jedberg 5y ago
    I think you missed the point. The point is that because this app exists, it allows Apple to ignore these possible attacks instead of having to confront them, like they would if there were an official side loading channel.
luke2m 5y ago
If you aren't opposed to jailbreaking, there is Appsync Unified [1], which lets you install .ipa files directly from our device. [1]. https://github.com/akemin-dayo/AppSync https://github.com/akemin-dayo/AppSync
imron 5y ago
> Enter your Apple ID email and password Nope
FridayoLeary 5y ago
How does it work? I thought it's not possible?
- yusefnapora 5y ago
  Apple allows anyone to sign apps for personal use with an Apple ID, to let people experiment with app development before signing up for a dev account. If you have a paid developer account, the ad-hoc signature lasts a year, otherwise it expires after seven days. AltStore runs a server process that re-signs the app before it expires and uses iTunes / Finder to sync the new copy to the device. With a non-developer account, this needs to happen at least once a week to prevent apps from expiring.
AtomicOrbital 5y ago
prior posting on this https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25028786 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25028786

302 points by murkle 5y ago

it only needs my Apple ID and password?

From their GitHub readme: > AltStore is an iOS application that allows you to sideload other apps (.ipa files) onto your iOS device with just your Apple ID. AltStore re-signs apps with your personal development certificate and sends them to a desktop app, AltServer, which installs the re-signed apps back to your device using iTunes WiFi sync. To prevent apps from expiring, AltStore will also periodically refresh your apps in the background when on the same WiFi as AltServer.

gregoriol 5y ago
It's really not new and it's just a signing trick, not an alternative Store as the name suggests It's also not practical as you need a desktop to install and also every now and then to keep the apps running...
- simonh 5y ago
  It appears to be very practical for some people.
  - gregoriol 5y ago
    If as a user, you plan to use it for yourself, then re-signing is already possible and while this complex setup might make it easier, it's still a little bit unpractical. If you expect to distribute an app through this, then it's mostly a no-go as, except some very strange use-cases, no user will be willing to go for this to use your app.
    - mgsk 5y ago
      You like to speak for other people, huh?
- asdfasgasdgasdg 5y ago
  Needing a desktop to install is not a deal breaker for a large fraction of users, even if it's not as convenient as having a phone-only solution. According to the FAQ, you don't also need to keep the (phone) apps running. Keeping the desktop app running doesn't seem like a problem.
meibo 5y ago
Note that this is also completely at Apple's whims, so if they ever decide to lock down their signing process or cut off non-developer IDs, the whole concept would fall through. It's a hack with a nice UI, really - which doesn't mean that it doesn't work quite well, just that it's unsustainable and annoying, especially with non-developer ID limitations.
- vbezhenar 5y ago
  Even if developer fee would be required, it's better than nothing.
  - dartharva 5y ago
    Debatable if it's "better"; it's legitimately scummy to prevent/paywall people from running whatever software they want on their devices.
- mrunseen 5y ago
  Well, kind of. Apple was able to kill Cydia Impactor (which is predecessor to AltStore) without breaking their “legitimate” code signing service. http://www.cydiaimpactor.com/ http://www.cydiaimpactor.com/
  - saagarjha 5y ago
    This is mostly because Cydia Impactor stopped having much effort put into it.
    - mrunseen 5y ago
      That’s true, but Apple did break it out of the blue after working for 5+ years. https://twitter.com/saurik/status/1196888477830221824 https://twitter.com/saurik/status/1196888477830221824

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

willis936 5y ago

I've used this in the past for gameboy emulators. It worked, but there is a constant game of cat and mouse. Apple is aware of this and tries to make it harder to happen, developer convenience be damned.

saagarjha 5y ago

Some discussion from several months ago: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25028786 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25028786

blairbeckwith 5y ago

AltStore is great. It’s honestly a fairly elegant solution, and Riley is constantly working on it and his Delta emulator which is equally impressive. If you have an always-on Mac to handle updates and refreshes, it’s been a near-seamless experience for me for over a year.

joenot443 5y ago
What other killer jailbroken apps are these days?
- NegativeLatency 5y ago
  Provenance is a pretty solid emulator of many game systems but last I checked it wasn’t on the altstore
- jjcon 5y ago
  Cercube which is basically equivalent to youtube vanced on android (no ads, background play, downloads etc) - its not on altstore (nothing really is) but you can use altstore to sideload it
sp1rit 5y ago
I wonder if you could "abuse" a service like GH Actions to replace an always-on Mac. I'm not an Apple user, so I don't know how feasible it is. But using such a (freely provided) service for something it wasn't meant to do is unethical, even tho I think it's a lot less unethical than mining crypto on it.
- saagarjha 5y ago
  https://github.com/SignTools/ios-signer-service https://github.com/SignTools/ios-signer-service

xvector 5y ago

Can this be used to side load iOS apps onto a M1 Mac?

irq 5y ago
No

dkdbejwi383 5y ago

Wish the server supported ARM Linux so I could run it off an rpi

lacqad 5y ago
It is using iTunes sync so you’ll need to be running macOS or Windows.
- NegativeLatency 5y ago
  I wonder if it would work in a VM install of Mac OS?

m3kw9 5y ago

Not sure if I want apps that can use all sorts of private APIs with zero impunity on my device. At least on the actual AppStore they get scanned. I wonder if they can provide such service?

judge2020 5y ago
AltStore itself doesn't even use any private APIs iirc, it just calls to the 'server' (a desktop running the companion daemon) when a user asks to install an app and the server uses the iTunes/Xcode wifi app development functionality to install user-signed apps OTA.
- squeaky-clean 5y ago
  AltStore many not use any private APIs, but I believe OP's point is that AltStore also cannot guarantee what you are installing is not using a private API. Apple's app-store at least does some static analysis on the app to investigate what calls it will be making.
kall 5y ago
I'm not an expert on this. What's the extent of private APIs this can use that something on the App Store cannot? As I understand it, it's for things that could technically go on the app store, but don't because of apple policies. I would imagine emulators, bittorrent clients, a Sci-Hub reader... stuff like that. Apps cannot even use private entitlements like CarPlay or Zoom's split screen video permission, can they?
alisonkisk 5y ago
What's wrong with private APIs?

ThePhysicist 5y ago

iOS & iPadOS devices would be so awesome if they could just run arbitrary software. The new iPad Pro is more powerful than my Lenovo T-Series laptop, and I would totally buy one if I could actually run e.g. Linux on it. But unfortunately Apple deliberately cripples these devices. Really hope the EU will overthrow these hardware-facilitated software monopolies soon. The truth is Apple already makes quite sizeable profits with the hardware alone, so I think at least power users should be able to install arbitrary software on them. This whole "the hardware can only run software approved by us" is so ridiculous, really makes you wonder how companies doing this (not only Apple) can still get away with it. Imaging Tesla would restrict which roads you can drive your car on, because just using arbitrary roads that haven't been thoroughly reviewed by them for security and safety would be a risk to you. That's essentially what Apple is doing with hardware that's perfectly capable of running general-purpose software.

judge2020 5y ago
They're able to 'get away with it' since their profit models isn’t just the profit from the initial sale. If Apple didn't have their 30% cut of apps and in-app purchases, they would have to increase their margins on the product to make up for the years of income they otherwise would've gotten - I wouldn't be surprised if that meant a $500 increase since they're losing out on multiple years of income. It's the same for consoles - PS5 and Xbox Series consoles are quite literally sold at a lost or at-cost, and that miniscule amount they make off the consoles doesn't pay for the servers, software, or the margin they actually would want for engineering the hardware if they didn't lock purchases to their own stores and take 30% of those sales. The only difference between iOS devices and these is that you can see an upfront profit on the purchase for iOS devices, even if that doesn't include the margin Apple actually expects over the lifetime of the device. https://www.gamesradar.com/ps5-is-being-sold-at-a-loss-but-has-generated-record-gaming-revenue-for-sony/ https://www.gamesradar.com/ps5-is-being-sold-at-a-loss-but-h...
- austhrow743 5y ago
  Apple doesn't target a particular level of profit that they refuse to exceed.

colechristensen 5y ago

What are the apps on these kinds of platforms that make the effort worthwhile?

dt3ft 5y ago
Given the disclaimer in the site footer, I’d guess nintendo emulators are amongst the available apps.
dustyharddrive 5y ago
in AltStore’s first-party repo: - There’s Clip, a clipboard manager that plays silent audio for backgrounding (something that wouldn’t be allowed in the App Store) and uses a notification extension to allow you to quickly save the current content of your clipboard. - Delta is a polished game system emulator — part of another category that isn’t allowed on the App Store. It’s also a distribution mechanism; one could host their own repo of apps. Also AltStore lets you sideload arbitrary IPA files (from backups or devs without a Dev Program membership, for instance). IMO AltStore is cool because it lets you use your iDevice more like a computer without breaking OS protections. (edit: formatting and added conclusion)

op00to 5y ago

Does anyone else have their work email on their phone? How could you even consider this if you use your phone for internal business?

qwytw 5y ago
How can someone consider installing any third party software on their desktop computer if they have any work related emails there?
stu2b50 5y ago
Having your work email on your phone shouldn't matter. Altstore uses the Mac's mail app to resign your apps when it's time to. Wouldn't recommend installing the server on your work computer, though. Apps on your phone are still fully sandboxed.

tailspin2019 5y ago

This looks great, but I think the website could be improved with a bit more explanation about what it actually is and who it's aimed at. EG. does this need an Apple Developer account? Do you need Xcode on the "Server" machine? I love the simple 3 images "explaining" the process but after that I'm still left with a lot of questions, which are not immediately addressed by the FAQs which seem to be worded with an assumption that you've already decided to install it. That said, it's open source, it looks cool, and it may be useful to me in the future!

3grdlurker 5y ago

As for me, I don’t share everyone else’s frustration with Apple’s tight control over its mobile devices because I don’t even think of them as fully-featured computers, as opposed to mere consumption devices, pocket internet browsers, or note-taking devices. I think it’s possible that people’s frustration is misplaced because they’re getting confused about the market positioning of Apple’s mobile devices versus Macs.

fickel 5y ago
You may not think it's a computer, users may not think it's a computer, Apple may not call it a computer, but that doesn't change the fact that it's a computer. It's only a phone in the same sense that a man crawling on the floor is a four-legged animal.
- 3grdlurker 5y ago
  Okay, then iPhones and iPads are computers meant for a subset of the functionality of laptops and desktop computers. The point remains. If it isn’t designed and meant to be used the way you want, it’s simply not the device for you and you should seriously consider rooting a phone or tablet with a mobile OS that you can control down to the code level.
  - kaba0 5y ago
    As if there were all that many options to choose for. There is absolutely nothing inherent in iPhone devices that would preclude them from using them as general purpose computers. For the amount of money I payed for them, I would better be able to use it some more than a fancy feature phone with better cameras. Hell, they have killer hardwares.

neilsimp1 5y ago

This is a nice looking and elegant solution to an artificially created problem that shouldn't be there in the first place. Why not use an OS that doesn't treat it's users like crap?

Jotra7 5y ago
Shhhh you'll anger the Apple zombies.
alisonkisk 5y ago
Because the apps and hardware people want don't work on those other OSes.

960design 5y ago

HELL NO! Download an app to basically virtualize (allow complete tracking ) an application. iOS and now iPadOS have allowed direct “app”installs for 10 years. Progressive web applications currently could be written for most native applications and deployed on just about any platform.

akmarinov 5y ago
PWAs suck on iOS though. At the very least they delete your data after 10 days.
- anshumankmr 5y ago
  I have had Whatsapp Web for months on my iPad. Doesn’t work that well, but I can reply to someone if I do not have my phone nearby. It doesn’t delete my data though, that’s for sure.,
  - akmarinov 5y ago
    Try not using it for 10 days
ThatPlayer 5y ago
PWAs are crippled by Apple's refusal to support browser features. Something as simple as a notification is impossible.
- musicale 5y ago
  Google's vision: Web Party People! Web apps can (eventually) use all native APIs and device functionality. Apple's vision: VIPs Only! Full access to native APIs and all device functionality is only permitted from apps approved by Apple, and even then it's fairly strictly controlled. But you can stream games (e.g. Luna) and video in Safari if you want to. Fortunately nobody's forcing you to buy an iOS or Android device.

dimal 5y ago

Seems cool, but why not show the actual apps I can install using this? I’m not going to install it on my Mac just to find out there’s a bunch of stuff I don’t care about.

NegativeLatency 5y ago
Not only do you have to install it but it also installs a Mail.app plugin to get some data for signing or something.

mylons 5y ago

very cool.

pixxel 5y ago

> A home for apps that push the boundaries of iOS. What apps?! How can you go to all the trouble of creating this service and not show the apps.

jedberg 5y ago

The problem with an unofficial side load like this is that it can get around some of the built in protections of iOs that I actually like. It opens up attack vectors that Apple hasn't considered yet. I feel like with official side loading, Apple would be inclined to lock down what apps can do without explicit permission, or better yet, require more explicit permissions when an app is side loaded. Like make every API call require permission the first time it's called. I'm fine with it being difficult to side load, but I really want it to be official so that Apple at least considers those attack vectors (like they've been doing on MacOS).

mjthompson 5y ago
You don't have to use this app. If you don't want to open up these so-called attack vectors you can simply not use it.
- jedberg 5y ago
  I think you missed the point. The point is that because this app exists, it allows Apple to ignore these possible attacks instead of having to confront them, like they would if there were an official side loading channel.

luke2m 5y ago

If you aren't opposed to jailbreaking, there is Appsync Unified [1], which lets you install .ipa files directly from our device. [1]. https://github.com/akemin-dayo/AppSync https://github.com/akemin-dayo/AppSync

imron 5y ago

> Enter your Apple ID email and password Nope

FridayoLeary 5y ago

How does it work? I thought it's not possible?

yusefnapora 5y ago
Apple allows anyone to sign apps for personal use with an Apple ID, to let people experiment with app development before signing up for a dev account. If you have a paid developer account, the ad-hoc signature lasts a year, otherwise it expires after seven days. AltStore runs a server process that re-signs the app before it expires and uses iTunes / Finder to sync the new copy to the device. With a non-developer account, this needs to happen at least once a week to prevent apps from expiring.

AtomicOrbital 5y ago

prior posting on this https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25028786 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25028786