Aptoide Launches Alternative iOS Game Store in European Union
After the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) forced Apple to open up its App Store policies, several developers have launched alternative stores. The latest entrant is Aptoide, a long-standing Android app store upstart, which is launching a game store in Europe.
Aptoide Game Store: A New Option for iOS Users
On June 6th, users will be able to download the Aptoide game store and use it on their iOS devices. The company announced that they are launching with six titles initially, with plans to add more later. Over 100 developers have committed to launching their games on the app store, but Apple’s notarization process is a time-consuming task.
Initial Launch Titles
The initial launch titles include:
- Word Jungle: A word puzzle game
- Condor — Leap of Faith: A jump-based platformer game
- All-in-one Solitaire: A collection of different Solitaire games
- All-in-one Mahjong: A collection of different Mahjong games
- Charades — Guess the Word: Another word puzzle game
Currently, only Word Jungle has in-app purchases. Aptoide has a unique model where it charges developers differently for in-app purchases. If a user discovers the app through search or recommendations on the app store, the company charges a 20% fee, but if the developer acquires users through paid advertisement or its community channels, Apptoide charges a 10% fee.
The Path to Launch
Aptoide went through Apple’s tedious process of applying as an alternative app store. The tech giant wasn’t always responsive. TechCrunch briefly tested the app store and found that the installation process is fairly simple. Once you receive an invitation or access code, you can access the link to download the app store.
You will need to go to settings and allow the download of an app store from this unknown source (Aptoide). The company plans to onboard 500 to 1,000 users on the waitlist every day after the launch. This is to ensure that it remains under the limit of 1 million annual first installs per year to avoid paying the core technology fee of €0.50 for each first install.
Experience and Competition
Aptoide has been operating in the app store space with an Android client since 2009. Last year, the Android app store reached nearly half a billion downloads. Experience running an app store on Android might be handy to some extent for Aptoide, but iOS is a different ball game with Apple’s own rules and restrictions.
With other stores competing for user attention in the EU, the company will need to attract unique games to its store.
Background and Context
The Digital Markets Act (DMA) was implemented by the European Union to force tech giants like Apple to open up their app stores. This move has led several developers to launch alternative stores. The DMA is an effort to promote competition in the digital market.
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Conclusion
Aptoide’s game store launch in Europe is a significant development in the app store space. With the DMA forcing Apple to open up its App Store policies, alternative stores like Aptoide are emerging as viable options for users and developers alike. Only time will tell if Aptoide can compete with Apple’s dominance in the market.
