AltStore

you already could in a way... by using altstore[0] on non jailbroken devices... It's not as straightforward as on Android but it is possible (there were even some builds of blink engine) [0] https://github.com/altstoreio/AltStore

Side loading is already possible. Yes, you can only do it for a few days at a time, but that's why there's an easy tool that will refresh the application for you. I haven't heart of social engineering involving https://github.com/altstoreio/AltStore but maybe you know something I don't. Either way, installing apps onto iOS devices over the network exists today.

Tech illiterate people are barely installing new apps on their phones, let alone separate app stores. Almost everyone I know runs Android and I've never seen F-Droid or Aurora or any other alternative app store on their phones. Scammers can already trick your mother into installing their apps. https://altstore.io/ exists and is widely used to install an emulator and some other apps Apple has deemed unworthy of their users' attention. The source is here: https://github.com/altstoreio/AltStore

That’s a weird question, I’m not sure what you mean by safe. The source [1] was the 3rd result on Google. You could build it yourself. The author puts their real name and face on the project. [1] https://github.com/altstoreio/AltStore

I don't think that this will convince you but it's open source (https://github.com/altstoreio/AltStore), and you could a separate Apple ID specifically only for signing (https://faq.altstore.io/getting-started/troubleshooting-guid...). This is probably the least clunky way of doing it since that Apple still doesn't allow sideloading.

Is it basically signing per user developer builds or something? EDIT: Ah yes, the readme explains: https://github.com/altstoreio/AltStore#altstore

They have some useful links on this page https://wiki.provenance-emu.com/installation-and-usage/insta... but I've never tried it myself since I don't own an Apple TV Also some discussion here https://github.com/rileytestut/AltStore/issues/1037

I believe I was thinking of https://github.com/rileytestut/AltStore, but I’m not sure if that’s the exact project (I don’t use iOS, so I don’t keep all of the details in mind) Quoting their FAQ: Why do you need my Apple ID? Apple allows anyone with an Apple ID to install apps they’ve built themselves onto their devices for testing. AltStore uses your Apple ID to communicate with Apple's servers on your behalf and perform the necessary steps to prepare your account for installing apps onto your device. Why does it say my apps will expire in 7 days? Unfortunately, apps that have been installed using non-developer Apple IDs (in other words, Apple IDs not tied to a $99/year Apple developer account) are only valid for 7 days, at which point they will no longer open. To compensate for this, AltStore will periodically attempt to refresh your app

> Apple doesn't allow side loading apps HN readers might be surprised at the extent of modded-iOS-app communities (just like APK communities for Androids) that manage to exist within the meager 7-day signing window Apple allows a free-tier developer account. Tools like AltStore and ReProvision are the standard for sideloading and renewing (respectively) legitimate jailbreak-entrypoint apps: https://github.com/rileytestut/AltStore https://github.com/Matchstic/ReProvision Even for un-jailbroken devices there are entire alternative ecosystems based around sideloading modded/pirated apps. They are obviously full of pirated stuff, usually work by abusing an enterprise cert from an endless list of Chinese companies (not insinuating anything bad, just firsthand experience), and they probably have some nasty malware mixed in here and there as wel

Perhaps this might help? https://github.com/rileytestut/AltStore/tree/master/AltServe...

Sounds like you/your projects should at least be mentioned over at https://github.com/rileytestut/AltStore, I’ve seen READMEs give credit for much less.

All the other comments are focusing on the Apple angle, but I want to comment on how amazing the developer, Riley, is. I've seen him working on this project (Delta and the AltStore) for four or five years. It's a project he's passionate about, and he's building it for himself, not to try and make money. (In fact, he's turned down offers from startups and top tech companies to work on this). More than almost anyone else I know, Riley embodies the classical hacker ethos. I believe partway through the project he decided to make this open source, so he then went back and re-factored a lot of the code to make it easier to learn from. Here's the repository, btw: https://github.com/rileytestut/AltStore

For people who wants to go directly without visiting the article... This is the AltStore's main link: https://altstore.io This is the author's launch blogpost: http://rileytestut.com/blog/2019/09/25/introducing-altstore/ And this is the Github repo: https://github.com/rileytestut/AltStore