Altstore’s Alternative Iphone App Store Is Coming To More Countries

AltStore PAL, which launched arsenic 1 of nan first replacement iOS app stores successful nan EU past year, is coming to much countries, developer Riley Testut announced today. “Specifically, we scheme to motorboat successful Japan, Brazil, and Australia earlier nan extremity of nan year, pinch nan UK to travel successful 2026,” Testut says. Launching successful much countries is “by acold our number 1 request,” though nan AltStore squad is still waiting to perceive much from Apple “on nonstop timing.”

Testut besides says that AltStore is making a large push into nan fediverse by utilizing nan ActivityPub protocol to “federate apps, app updates, and news alerts from AltStore to nan unfastened societal web.” Here’s really that will work, according to Testut:

Each AltStore root will person its ain ActivityPub account, which tin past beryllium followed by immoderate different unfastened societal web account. You’ll beryllium capable to like, boost, and reply to everything, and astir importantly each these interactions will look natively successful AltStore. In different words, you’ll beryllium capable to remark connected an app connected Mastodon, for illustration a news update connected Threads, past unfastened AltStore and position each these aforesaid interactions in-app.

The AltStore squad is moving pinch Mastodon gGmbH to “manage a civilization Mastodon server connected our behalf” (it’s disposable in beta now) and pinch nan non-profit A New Social to support Bluesky utilizing nan Bridgy Fed tool. The fediverse features will travel to AltStore PAL successful “the adjacent fewer months,” Testut says.

AltStore is besides getting a $6 cardinal finance from Patreon committee personnel Chris Paik’s Pace Capital truthful nan squad tin prosecute much unit and adhd “the basal bandwidth to finalize Fediverse integration and grow AltStore worldwide,” Testut says. Paik will subordinate AltStore’s committee of directors, arsenic will Flipboard CEO Mike McCue, who is simply a large instrumentality of nan fediverse.