EU's AltStore will sell iPhone apps supported by Patreon

Apple allows developers to distribute apps through alternate app stores in member nations under the EU's Digital Markets Act, until a certain download threshold.

Apple was compelled by the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA) to permit developers to distribute their apps through alternate app stores (also known as app marketplaces) in member nations. But after they hit a specific threshold of downloads, these developers have to pay Apple a Core Technology Fee. Small developers will find it easier with AltStore's selection of Patreon-backed apps. Long before DMA became popular, there was an alternative app shop called AltStore for iOS. Nevertheless, developer Riley Testut made the decision to introduce AltStore as an approved app marketplace for users in the EU, adhering to all the rules set down by Apple under the DMA.

First, Apple announced that for apps that are downloaded more than one million times annually, it will impose a Core Technology Fee, or CTF, of €0.50 per annual installation. This has caused concern, though, for smaller developers who might not have enough cash on hand to cover the costs if their apps become instant hits. According to Testut, developers can commercialize their apps and even help pay Apple's costs by customizing their integration with Patreon, which allows users to purchase the apps. For instance, AltStore intends to soon offer beta versions of Clip, a clipboard manager, and Delta, a Nintendo emulator, to Patreon backers for $3 a month.