AltStore integrates with the fediverso so you can follow the news from Threads

In addition to Aptoide, the AltStore was one of the first alternative iOS app stores to emerge in the European Union to compete with Apple’s App Store. Now, it is preparing to take a curious step: connecting its platform with the open social network, also known as fediverse. This move will allow users of apps like Mastodon or Threads to follow updates to their favorite apps in a whole new way, adding a social layer to software discovery.

To promote this and other plans, the startup has announced its first round of external financing, obtaining 6 million dollars in a Series A led by Pace Capital. This capital injection will allow the company, until now managed solely by its co-founders Riley Testut and Shane Gill, to hire a team and expand its presence to new markets such as Australia, Brazil and Japan this year.

Europe gives wings to alternative stores on iOS

As TechCrunch reports, AltStore’s growth has been notable since the Digital Markets Law of the EU opened competition in the application market. The store not only offers its own applications, such as the popular Delta video game emulator, but has also been incorporating third-party apps since June 2024. Its catalog includes everything from the UTM virtual machine app to a partnership with Epic Games to distribute Fortnite.

In addition, the store has entered the adult application market with Hot Tub, an app that would not exceed the regulations of the Apple App Store. With more than 100 developers on boardsurpassing Epic’s alternative game store, AltStore attracts a wide variety of creators, from independents to those who wouldn’t meet Apple’s strict requirements.

The new social integration will work through Mastodon’s own server that AltStore is launching, based on the ActivityPub protocol. Developers will be able to choose to publish updates to their applications on this server. “This means that if you have a Mastodon or Threads account, you will be able to follow these accounts and see on your timeline when an app is updated,” explains Testut. Users will be able to respond or ‘like’ these updates, creating a new avenue of interaction.