AltStore version 2.0 update released in celebration of 5th anniversary

AltStore version 2.0 update released in celebration of 5th anniversary

Anthony Bouchard ∙ September 28, 2024

The AltStore Team on Saturday celebrated the fifth anniversary of the day when it launched AltStore Classic for all iPhone and iPad owners worldwide who sought an easy way to sideload apps on their devices via an Apple Developer-registered Apple ID with the release of AltStore version 2.0.

Citing the announcement post shared via X (formerly Twitter) Saturday afternoon, this update is particularly deserving of the version 2.0 moniker, as it includes an extensive change log with not only bug fixes and improvements, but also new users that port over some key features of the AltStore PAL platform that users in the EU have been enjoying for some time.

The full change log is detailed below for your viewing pleasure:

New
Sources
– Add any 3rd-party source, in addition to existing Recommended Sources!
– New dedicated Sources tab to easily manage and browse sources
– Separate “Add Source” screen to simplify adding sources
– Preview sources before adding them to AltStore
– View detailed information as well as any additional links
– Browse all apps and news for a source
– “Featured Apps” section showcases a source’s best apps
– Supports remote blocking malicious sources
Redesigned Browse Tab
– New “card” design for app listings
– View most recently updated apps at a glance
– Browse apps by source or by 8 new categories
– Scroll through featured apps from each source
– Change sort order of apps when browsing by source or category
– Tap category name to easily switch between categories when browsing
– Swipe through all screenshots directly from Browse tab
Patreon
– 3rd-party sources can now distribute Patreon-exclusive apps to patrons, including free members
– Donate to developers’ Patreons and download Patreon-exclusive apps all within AltStore
– Supports “custom” pledge amounts so patrons can donate what they want
– Shows required pledge amount for Patreon apps (if provided)
App Icon
– Brand new app icon
– Choose alternate app icons in Settings
Detailed App Permissions
– View all entitlements and privacy permissions for an app from its store page
– Tap any permission to view a detailed description
– Automatically verifies permissions are accurate before installing
– Asks user to review permissions when installing and updating apps
– When installing a new app, all entitlements will be shown
– When updating an app, only added entitlements will be shown
Source JSON
– Supports JSON5
– buildVersion parameter allows distributing multiple builds with same app version
– sha256 parameter lets AltStore verify downloaded .ipa’s have the correct SHA-256 hash
– appPermissions parameter declares all permissions used by an app and its extensions
– marketingVersion parameter allows customizing the version displayed to the user
Misc.
– Added social media follow buttons to Settings
– Handles “search” and “view app” deep links
– Search: altstore://search?q=[query]
– View App: altstore://viewApp?bundleID=[app bundle ID]
Improved
Screenshots
– Supports screenshots of different sizes
– Supports both iPhone and iPad specific screenshots
– Automatically rounds screenshots taken with Face ID iPhone
– Preview screenshots full-screen by tapping them from an app’s store page
– Dismiss full-screen screenshots with swipe gesture
App Verification
– Verifies downloaded app version matches source
– Verifies downloaded app build version matches source
– Verifies downloaded app’s permissions match source
– Verifies downloaded .ipa matches SHA-256 hash (if provided)
Source Verification
– Verifies source’s identifier doesn’t change after refreshing
– Verifies source’s identifier doesn’t match existing sources when adding
– Verifies all privacy permissions have a valid usageDescription
– Throws error when adding marketplace source to non-marketplace AltStore (and vice versa)
– Includes missing last Coding Path value for DecodingError.keyNotFound
– Deprecates identifier key
News Tab
– Changed image aspect ratio to 3:2
– Updated font to use dynamic text styles
– Uses uniform height for all News Items on source’s detail page
Logging
– Switched to OSLog.framework for important tasks
– Export detailed logs via Error Log from Settings tab
Image Caching
– Increased cache limit to reduce how often AltStore refetches images
– Clear image cache with “Clear Cache…” option in Settings
Misc.
– Limits relative dates to “Today” and “Yesterday”
– Changed “WiFi” spelling to “Wi-Fi”
– Displays version # for updates in My Apps tab
– Replaced AppCenter dependency with TelemetryDeck
– Added Privacy manifest
– Updated Patreon sign-out alert message to apply to all pledged apps
– Rethrows Core Data save errors after installing apps
– Captures #fileID and #line for OperationError.appNotFound
– Enforces consistent minimum size for PillButton
– Updates AppViewController to use UINavigationBarAppearance APIs
Fixed
Resigning Apps
– Fixed various issues resigning certain apps
– Fixed app sometimes freezing when installing/refreshing apps
– Fixed resigning apps with entitlements the original app doesn’t have
– Fixed resigning apps without required entitlements
– Fixed resigning apps with wildcard `keychain-access-groups` entitlement
– Fixed resigning apps with non-English alphanumeric characters in name
User Interface
– Fixed Settings tab bar disappearing on iOS 18
– Fixed squished banners on App IDs screen
– Fixed button titles flashing when scrolling into view
– Fixed incorrect corner radius animation for app + source detail screens
– Fixed “More” button appearing by accident if text height exactly equals collapsed height
– Fixed not showing “more updates” button when there are more than 2 updates
– Fixed erroneously showing “Unsupported Updates Available” message
– Fixed showing “Update” button on app store page when no supported update is available
– Fixed incorrect cell height for some News items
– Fixed missing blur when pushing AppViewController onto modal navigation controller
Misc.
– Fixed crash when adding source with the same name as another source
– Fixed “Core Data error” if error occurs while parsing Source JSON
– Fixed redundant app update appearing after failing to backup/restore app
– Fixed not showing toast view if error occurs during initial sources fetch
– Fixed incorrectly handling various cancelled operations
– Fixed error fetching Friend Zone patrons due to unexpected nil name
– Fixed incorrectly merging app versions for same app from different sources
– Fixed migration error on launch if AltStore app group does not exist
– Fixed “missing app group” error if AltStore app group is not the first one listed in Info.plist
– Fixed accidentally saving “Operation Cancelled” errors to Error Log
– [iPad] Fixed crash when removing apps from My Apps tab
– Fixed CollapsingTextView “TextKit 1 compatibility mode” runtime warning
– Fixed “transformable properties not using secure transformer” runtime warnings
– Fixed “unsatisfiable constraints” runtime error for InstalledAppsCollectionFooterView

One of the major changes that AltStore users will recognize right off the bat is that the AltStore Team has ported over AltStore PAL’s redesigned Browse tab, which makes it easy for users to view the most recently updated and featured apps being shared on each source. Users also have the option of browsing by category. These sources now have their own dedicated tables where users can manage them or and view more details.

Sources get another major update in AltStore v2.0 because can now add any third-party source to the app instead of relying just on AltStore’s Recommended Sources. In essence, this means that app developers can now make and share app sources with ordinary AltStore users, which makes it easier for end users to acquire and use those apps.

Worried about malware? While sideloading does increase your risk of installing malware, AltStore ensures you always know what you’re putting on your device by letting you review important permissions before sideloading apps. This prevents you from being taken by surprise when an app suddenly performs unexpected behavior.

If you’re already using AltStore, then you can download with ease directly from within the AltStore app itself. Anyone who isn’t already using AltStore will automatically install version 2.0 when attempting to install it for the first time from their Mac or Windows computer via AltServer. AltStore supports all iOS & iPadOS firmware versions, whether they’re jailbroken or not.

Are you excited about all the major changes in AltStore v2.0? Let us know what you’re excited to try next in the comments section down below.

Tags AltStore iOS iPad iPadOS iPhone Jailbreak macOS
0