AltStoreGot an IPA and a PC or Mac? Put it on iPhone.
You know AltStore leans on a computer anyway. Here is the desktop installer for Windows or Mac, for iPhone, iPad and Apple TV.
"Apps installed with AltStore expire after 7 days, at which point they can no longer be opened."
AltStore help, Getting Started
| Your IPA | On your home screen | Sitting in Downloads |
|---|---|---|
| Computer | Windows or Mac, tool set up | No installer yet |
| Works on | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV | App Store apps only |
Your iPhone stays stock: there is nothing to jailbreak.
The ways to get an IPA on iPhone, ranked
Every route signs the app so iOS will open it. They differ in what they ask of you afterwards.
Best
- A desktop tool on your Windows PC or MacPlug in the iPhone, sign in with your Apple ID, drop in the IPA. The same tool covers iPad and Apple TV.
Fine
- AltStore with AltServerIt works, and it asks for a refresh: on a free account its apps stop working after 7 days.
- A paid Apple developer accountApps signed with it last one year instead of 7 days.
Avoid
- A jailbreak for one appIt changes the whole phone for a task a signed install already does.
- Sites that install with no computerYou cannot tell who signed the app or how long it will open.
What you will see, start to finish
Three screens, one after the other.
-
On your computer
The installer for Windows or Mac opens with a spot for your IPA and one for your Apple ID.
-
With the iPhone plugged in
Your device shows up by name in the tool. You press Start and it signs and sends the app.
-
On the home screen
The app icon appears. The first time, iOS asks you to trust your profile in Settings, General, VPN and Device Management.
Keep this
The rules Apple's signing puts on any sideloaded app.
- Use the Apple ID you already have.
- A free account holds 3 sideloaded apps on a device at a time.
- On a free account, sign the app again every 7 days.
- On iOS 16 and later, turn on Developer Mode when iOS asks.
- Trust the profile once in Settings, General, VPN and Device Management.
- Keep the IPA file: you need it to sign again.
Do and don't
Go: sign with your own Apple ID
The app is tied to your account and nobody else's.
Caution: the 7 day clock
On a free account, sign the app again before the week is up.
Stop: don't jailbreak for one app
It changes everything else.
Your computer is the boarding gate
Pick Windows or Mac on the next screen and the installer comes with it.
Get my IPA installer