Finally, Apple lowered its head and set up a third-party app store in Europe, whether it's a good thing or a bad thing, it's not that simple anyway.
We have to thank the European Union's Digital Markets Act for making changes to Apple. However, Apple is not vegetarian either, and they still have a lot of restrictions, such as you have to be in the EU to use this sideloading feature, otherwise don't think about it.
After a set of hard work, the official version of iOS 17.4 is also out, and the third-party app store is also online. However, Apple's first third-party app store, called "AltStore PAL", is a bit awkward compared to the App Store.
The concept of AltStore PAL is quite new, encouraging independent developers to upload their own apps. In the beginning, there were only two well-known apps in the store, one was the game simulator Delta and the other was the clipboard manager Clip. It's not much, but it's a good start.
However, here's the problem. The way AltStore PAL works is a bit complicated, you have to advertise it yourself, direct users to your website, and then install the app through AltStore, which is a bit like the old software download sites, but the user experience is a bit more difficult to describe.
First of all, there is no progress prompt during the download process, and by the time you see the feedback, it is often already an error or an unknown reason. When installing the app, you need to click on several steps, but these steps are not clearly written, and users can't figure out where they are going. Also, the APP that was uninstalled before can't be reinstalled, and the whole process is one word - chaos.
Moreover, there are also a lot of problems on Apple's side. For example, the app marketplace package solution can only be installed through the Safari browser, not other browsers. During the installation process, Safari and Settings will pop up some confusing prompts, and the installation process is also confusing.
So, while AltStore PAL is Apple's first third-party app store, the user experience is really not good. Developers are complaining about this as well. Instead of complaining about the need to recruit users on their own, or about the 1.5 euro annual fee, they are complaining about a poor user experience due to too many complex technical issues.
Still, the developers of AltStore PAL are ambitious. They hope that this store will become an open platform where more great apps can stand out. Also, the conditions of use are not harsh, as long as you are in the EU and upgrade your phone to iOS 17.4 or above, you can use AltStore PAL.
However, AltStore PAL still has a long way to go to catch up with the breadth and flexibility of third-party app stores for Android. It is hoped that they can learn the lessons learned in the early stage and improve the technical problems as soon as possible to bring a better experience to users.
Anyway, the launch of Apple's first third-party app store is an important step, but there is still a lot to be improved. It is hoped that Apple can relax the permissions as soon as possible, so that third-party app stores can really play their due role and bring more choices and convenience to users.