Aptoide is coming to iOS as an EU-only game store

Aptoide, the popular Google Play alternative for Android devices, is launching a third-party iOS app store in the European Union – the first focused entirely on games since EU Digital Markets Act (DMA) rules came into force.

Aptoide iOS Game Store is launching in a closed launch on Thursday, with access initially restricted to users with invite-only access codes. Aptoide says it has a waiting list of 20,000 signups and plans to issue between 500 to 1,000 codes per day, with the limited launch allowing the platform to monitor feedback from early adopters.

The Aptoide iOS store will launch with seven games – a fairly standard set of popular activities like Solitaire, Charades, and Mahjong – but the company says the store will eventually “feature content from a variety of developers.” Aptoide claims that “more than 100” iOS developers have expressed interest in the platform and that 30 offerings are currently in the integration process.

Unlike Aptoide’s other app marketplaces, the iOS store will only focus on games for now, with the company planning to add new games to the store every week after its launch. Aptoide CEO Paulo Trezentos said On the edge that the service may be expanded in the future to provide additional content and services.

Notably, Aptoide is also the first third-party iOS marketplace in Europe to launch an Apple-approved in-app purchasing (IAP) solution, which will be provided to developers via an IAP software development kit.

The company is taking a new approach to offset Apple’s 50 euro Core Technology Fee (CTF) for each annual store installation. Instead of passing this directly to users in the form of a subscription, the cost will be borne by a fee charged to developers for in-app purchases. “This means that IAP-based apps will be preferred on Aptoide iOS,” says Trezentos. “We hope that one day when the CTF is not charged, we will be able to serve more developers as unit economics change.”

Other alternative iOS app stores that have launched in the EU have established their own methods around the CTF. Setapp currently absorbs the fee, but says it will be included in the Setapp Mobile subscription price in the future. Meanwhile, AltStore PAL covers the fee via a €1.50 annual subscription (plus tax) to install the app marketplace itself.