Alternative iPhone application stores are starting to multiply. It is now Aptoide’s turn to open up to iOS for all European users, with an original and practical function.
IPhone and iPad users will have more and more choices to download apps on their devices. After Altstore.iothe Epic Games Store or Setapp, it’s Aptoide’s turn to offer an alternative application store to the Apple App Store for devices running iOS. As a reminder, the apple firm, known for its fierce desire to control everything on its aircraft, is forced to comply with the rules of Digital Markets Act (DMA), this European regulation entered into force in March 2024 and which aims to better supervise digital giants (read our article). Among the measures adopted is the obligation to give iPhone users the possibility of installing applications not coming from the App Store through alternative stores.
Aptoide has made a place on Android for years, before being announced on iOS in 2024. In June, the application shop started tests in limited beta. It is now available for all users of the European Union, without having to register on a waiting list.
Aptoide for iPhone: an unprecedented and friendly function
To install the shop, just go to this address and validate the various warnings and requests for Apple. There are then the usual applications (Netflix, Youtube, Instagram …) as well as many games – not always of good quality, because they include many advertisements and integrated purchases. Users will be able to benefit from an alternative in-app payment system and a software development kit for integrated purchases, developed in collaboration with Apple.
Aptoide, however, has a very practical function which allows you to download an earlier version of an app. Thus, if an update is eaten or slows down the device, it is possible to go back. On Android, it is possible to do the same, but you must find APK files on the Internet – with all the risks that this implies, such as downloading software infected with malware – because the Play Store does not offer such a function. So having it on iOS is quite exceptional. In any case, it is a good step for the opening of the Apple ecosystem, which should not see it all with a good eye.