AltStore PAL Expands into the Fediverse

AltStore PAL, the alternative iOS app store available in the EU and Japan, is stepping into the social web arena. In a recent announcement, AltStore PAL revealed that users can now engage with apps that developers choose to federate on its explore.alt.store website through platforms like Mastodon, Threads, and Bluesky.

According to creator Riley Testut, any likes or comments made on these social platforms will sync back to AltStore PAL. He mentioned last October that users will be able to comment on an app via Mastodon, like updates on Threads, and then check AltStore to see all these interactions in one place. Additionally, users can now log into AltStore PAL using their Mastodon or Bluesky accounts.

“Our goal with integrating fediverse features into AltStore is to enhance app discoverability by making them shareable across the social web,” Testut explained. “In the future, we hope to see apps gain native support within ActivityPub, allowing them to function as standard ActivityPub objects like notes and articles, which would enable them to show up in your feed just like any other content.”

AltStore PAL made its debut in the EU in 2024 after Apple began adhering to the region’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), which mandates that users can download third-party app stores. It subsequently launched in Japan following similar regulations, with plans to expand to Australia, Brazil, and the UK.

In conjunction with this update, AltStore PAL is introducing three new fediverse-friendly apps: the open-source short-form video platform Loops, the video-sharing app PeerTube, and the Mastodon client iPhanpy. These apps can be found on the store’s revamped Sources page, which now showcases collections categorized as “popular,” “indie gems,” and “fediverse favorites.”