Most people mainly think of jailbreaking as a technique to sideload software onto Apple’s iPhones because they are so notoriously locked off. AltStore is the simplest way to sideload programs onto an iPhone, but there are other options as well. In this guide, we discuss “How to use AltStore to sideload apps quickly on any iPhone.”
How AltStore works
If you don’t trust your Apple ID and password, you can create a throwaway account. According to the developer, the data is never sent to a third-party server. Apple only receives it for authentication and stores it securely on the device’s keychain, so no one else can access it. You are perfectly entitled to feel uncomfortable about putting your main Apple ID into the app, hence the throwaway account.
To run the application, AltStore signs it with your Apple ID. AltStore apps will work after you trust the developer certificate in your device settings, but only for 7 days. The developer was able to work around Apple’s restrictions to make the process as difficult as possible. AltStore will refresh the signing key on the app as the seven-day period nears its end, so you can use it for an additional seven days. You can also run this in the background.
Installing AltStore on iPhone and iPad
- First, download Altstore from here.
- Install AltServer Preview on your Windows 10 or macOS computer.
- Use a USB cable to connect your iPhone and iPad to the computer on which AltServer has been installed. Choose “Install AltStore” and choose your device from the AltServer desktop app.
- Now you’ll be asked for your Apple ID credentials. Ensure that AltStore is installed on your device by logging in and waiting a few seconds.
- The AltStore icon will appear on your iPhone or iPad once it’s installed, just like when you install an app from the Apple App Store. In Settings -> General -> Device Management, you may want to allow or authorize AltStore.
- You’re ready to use the Alt Store after signing in with your Apple ID.
Using Altstore
AltStore is a rather simple program. It can install Clip or Delta (an emulator) or a more advanced clipboard manager. Custom IPA files that you get from the internet can also be installed. You must be connected to the same Wi-Fi network as your computer to install programs since AltServer requires this (it needs to be signed and distributed by AltServer). Apps will attempt to automatically refresh in the background. But whether they succeed or fail depends on chance when you’re connected to the same network.
Since your phone will know the AltStore app as one you use regularly, Testut advises opening it in the background once in a while to ensure that it can search for the local server more frequently.You may download and test out a large number of applications, and if you become a Testut patron, you also have access to the beta releases of Delta and AltStore.