Offering other stores on Apple’s iPhones and iPads isn’t a surprise – it’s a great move
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Looking at what else you can do with the devices you own in an unofficial capacity can always be tempting, but due to an upcoming European law, there are reports that Apple is reportedly working on a way to install alternative App Stores.
According to Mark Gurman’s report on Bloomberg (opens in new tab), it means that other storefronts such as Steam, Amazon, Microsoft and others are allowed to offer individual stores and install apps, similar to the App Store. This means developers can take 100% of the revenue while having more control over what the app can access, such as more graphics power and more control over what your Apple device has to offer.
However, developers like Riley Testut (opens in new tab) and Shane Gill (opens in new tab) have been developing an alternative for years, called Alt store (opens in new tab). It offers apps to “sideload,” meaning you download apps onto your Apple device without using the App Store that Apple wouldn’t allow, such as emulators and virtualization software to easily run Windows XP on an iPad, for example.
The best Apple could do, if this is indeed the path it’s taking, is to take inspiration from the Alt Store and show that this route isn’t the end of safety and security on your Apple device – instead it’s an opportunity for everyone.
The alternative is a tempting prospect for developers
Playing GameCube on my iPad Pro is so incredibly cool. Thank you so much @DolphinforiOS 😍 pic.twitter.com/WMn8eC4FuqMay 4, 2020
When the Alt Store first launched around 2020, I was curious and wanted to see how well a few games I own from Sony’s PlayStation console would run on my 2018 12.9-inch iPad from an emulation store. app that was offered in the Alt Store, and they ran flawlessly. I had my 8BitDo controller paired with the device and after connecting the tablet to my TV it was like playing these games through Sony’s original console.
Nearly three years later, Apple could somehow allow this by the time iOS 17 reportedly arrives next year. Granted, this is mainly due to upcoming European laws that may require Apple to do so anyway, but it’s still good to see that this is reportedly being worked on by the company.
For example, on a Mac there is no problem installing apps that are not part of the App Store, mainly due to the fact that it is a device and operating system that has been around as long as the original Macintosh in 1984. There would be huge would have been critical if you couldn’t allow apps to be installed outside of the App Store on an Apple Silicon Mac, as users have been able to for years.
Security and privacy are the values that Apple has held dear with iOS for years, and with good reason. But as Alt Store has proven, it could unlock stifled innovation in addition to a bigger payout for developers if they could use coding libraries that were previously exclusive to Apple’s teams.
Testut also has got into a great argument on Twitter (opens in new tab) why this is good news for developers, and I agree. It’s a compromise to give developers another chance for what the App Store has been since its debut in 2008, and while I don’t expect emulators to be allowed regardless of whether these changes come in 2023, it’s an interesting future for the devices from Apple. As a whole.