AltStore PAL, originally introduced as one of the pioneering alternative iOS app stores under the European Union’s new guidelines, is preparing for a major global expansion. Developer Riley Testut announced that after establishing a strong foundation in the EU last year, the platform is now set to bring its services to users in a broader range of countries. Specifically, Testut detailed that AltStore plans to roll out operations in Japan, Brazil, and Australia before the end of the current calendar year, with the United Kingdom expected to join the supported regions in 2026. This carefully phased expansion reflects not only growing international interest but also the steady maturation of the project’s global ambitions. Testut emphasized that broader accessibility has consistently ranked as the team’s most requested feature from its passionate community. Nevertheless, the developers remain in close contact with Apple to clarify precise schedules and necessary approvals, as certain regulatory and technical details still require additional input from Cupertino before final deployment.
Beyond geographic expansion, AltStore is also venturing further into the decentralized ecosystem known as the fediverse. According to Testut, this strategic move involves deep integration with the open ActivityPub protocol. The goal is to allow apps, app updates, and platform news from AltStore to seamlessly extend into the open social web, making them accessible and interactive across federated services. Each AltStore source will be given a dedicated ActivityPub account, enabling users of other federated platforms to follow and engage directly. In practice, this means that anyone can like, boost, or respond to updates, and every such interaction will appear natively within AltStore itself. Imagine commenting on an app’s announcement through Mastodon or liking a status posted on Threads, then later opening AltStore to see those interactions displayed organically within the interface—no silos, no disconnection, just a harmonized social experience.
To accomplish this integration smoothly, the AltStore team is collaborating with Mastodon gGmbH, which is managing a custom Mastodon server developed specifically for AltStore’s community. This server is already available in a beta testing phase, allowing early adopters to explore the fediverse features ahead of the broader release. In parallel, AltStore is working with the non-profit organization A New Social to ensure interoperability with Bluesky through the Bridgy Fed tool, thereby extending its reach across multiple federated networks. These fediverse-driven capabilities are expected to arrive on AltStore PAL within the next few months, signifying an important step toward a more open, user-empowered digital ecosystem.
In addition to these technical and social advancements, AltStore is now receiving a major financial boost: a $6 million investment from Pace Capital, led by Chris Paik, a well-known investor and board member at Patreon. This funding injection will allow AltStore to expand its development team significantly, strengthen operational capacity, and acquire the technological bandwidth needed to finalize its fediverse integration and execute its global launch strategy successfully. Paik himself will be joining AltStore’s board of directors to provide strategic guidance, alongside Flipboard CEO Mike McCue, a prominent supporter of decentralized social infrastructures and an advocate for the open web movement. Together, these additions to the board underscore how AltStore’s vision resonates across both the tech and investor communities—signaling confidence in a future where mobile app stores are more open, interconnected, and globally accessible than ever before.
Sourse: https://www.theverge.com/news/795173/altstore-alternative-ios-iphone-app-store-more-countries-fediverse-social-web
