AltStore PAL, a third-party iOS app store that’s available in the EU, is dropping its annual €1.50 (plus tax) subscription after receiving a “MegaGrant” from Fortnite developer Epic Games. AltStore originally charged the subscription to help cover Apple’s Core Technology Fee (CTF), which is a fee third-party app marketplaces have to pay for each annual app install.
AltStore PAL drops its annual subscription thanks to a grant from Epic
The alternative iOS app store had cost €1.50 plus tax annually, but that fee is going away with the help of Epic Games.
The alternative iOS app store had cost €1.50 plus tax annually, but that fee is going away with the help of Epic Games.
Image: AltStore
is a senior reporter covering technology, gaming, and more. He joined The Verge in 2019 after nearly two years at Techmeme.
Epic uses MegaGrants as a way to “sponsor the development of exciting projects that may not otherwise have enough funding to fully realize,” the company says. The grants are typically meant for smaller teams using Epic’s technologies to “bring bold, challenging, and insanely creative dreams to life,” but in this case, Epic awarded the grant for “innovation in app distribution,” according to AltStore.
AltStore didn’t share the dollar value of the grant. AltStore’s Shane Gill declined to comment.
Current subscribers won’t be charged when their renewal date rolls around, AltStore says. The AltStore team also plans to “show our appreciation for our existing subscribers in a future update” but didn’t specify what that might look like.
Epic is also working on a version of the Epic Games Store for iOS and said earlier this week that the store, Fortnite, and Rocket League Sideswipe have been submitted to Apple for “final notarization.”
Update, August 15th: AltStore declined to comment.
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