- Aptoide is the latest company to throw their hat into the ring with alternative app stores on iOS
- They already boast 400 million users on their other app store versions
- The initial launch will be based on access codes and a waiting list
It’s the battle of the alternative app stores this year it seems, as yet another company is throwing their hat into the ring. But this time, Aptoide, the subject of today’s news, seems set on being the first non-Apple game store on iOS.
It’s a bold claim, especially when other alternative app stores already exist on iPhone and iPad. However, Aptoide isn’t exactly coming out of nowhere. The company already boasts over 400 million users, 10 billion downloads and over 1 million apps on their other versions.
Aptoide certainly seems to be anticipating a lot of interest. Their current intent is for the launch to be tightly controlled through access codes, with a waiting list of 20,000 people already, and more than 100 interested iOS developers.
The bit thing is that Aptoide has already established itself on Android, and if these numbers are correct it’s already a pretty big hit there. Of course, this is still only a drop in the bucket compared to the vast ocean that is the iOS App Store’s user base.
Due to changes enforced by both US authorities and the EU (like the Digital Markets Act), Apple has been forced to open up their previously quite restrictive ecosystem for alternative app stores. Apple has of course pushed back on this, and even got into another spat with archenemies Epic Games over their intent to bring Fortnite to iOS via this new legislative avenue.
Regardless, it seems as if the new field of battle for prospective app store owners is going to be in games, which is another signifier of how important they are to the overall mobile ecosystem.
But in the meantime if you’re looking for games to play that don’t require an alternative app store, why not take a glance at our list of the best mobile games of 2024 (so far)?
