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FAQ

This is a list of frequently asked questions for SideStore. This has a list of common questions we get with our development of SideStore, and some questions that might want to be answered for different types of people, or for people having problems.

What is SideStore?​

SideStore is an iOS application that allows you to sideload apps onto your iOS device using only your Apple ID. SideStore resigns apps with your personal development certificate, and then uses a specially designed VPN in order to trick iOS into installing them. SideStore will periodically "refresh" your apps in the background, to keep their normal 7-day development period from expiring.

SideStore's goal is to provide an untethered sideloading experience. It's a community driven fork of AltStore, and has already implemented some of the community's most-requested features. You only need a computer once during installation.

(Contributions are welcome! 🙂)

What limitations does SideStore have?​

If using a free Apple Account, SideStore can only install 3 apps (including itself) at a time. Additionally, only 10 different apps may be installed in a week. (Referred to as App IDs).

Can I activate JIT?​

For users using iOS/iPadOS 16 or lower, you can activate JIT directly from the SideStore 'My Apps' page by holding down on your app and selecting 'Enable JIT'.

Users on iOS or iPadOS 17.4 or higher can use a solution such as SideStore 0.6.2 or StikDebug (formerly StikJIT). Please refer to the tutorial in the Advanced section.

When will SideStore release?​

SideStore currently does not have a release date, but is in a public beta state.

Can you sideload apps at the moment?​

Yes you can, just like AltStore!

Does SideStore have AltStore (beta) features?​

We do implement AltStore (beta) features, but they aren't always latest. We try to keep up to date, or implement them in our own way if necessary.

Will having the VPN on drain my battery?​

It does not, as it's only connecting to your own device. No remote servers are used, meaning no external connections, meaning no extra battery drain.

Will the VPN track me?​

It does not, as there is no remote server used.

Can I sign more than 3 apps to be active?​

Normally, no, as that’s an iOS and developer account limitation. Apple only allows 3 apps to be installed using a free Apple Developer account.

To remove this restriction (and also get a 365 day expiry), you can pay for a $99/year Apple Developer account.

Alternatively, you can use LiveContainer, or on iOS versions 18 db5/18.0.1 and below, you can utilize the SparseRestore exploit to bypass the 3-app limit. (doesn't bypass the 10 app-id limit)

A tutorial for using this can be found here.

I have a problem or bug or request for a feature or quality of life improvement​

Please check common issues and existing GitHub issues, if you don't find it, please create a new a GitHub issue on our GitHub page to make a bug report or feature request (with appropriate labels)!

I am a developer, how does this affect me?​

Your apps shouldn't need any modification to work with SideStore!

Do I need to install AltStore to install SideStore?​

Nope, you can sideload SideStore directly by following our helpful guide!

As a user, I’m having trouble logging into SideStore. I get an error.​

There are many reasons this can happen, but the most common issue is a temporary Anisette server downtime. You can currently change the Anisette server on your device’s Settings app in SideStore under “Anisette URL”.

Is SideStore going to have a Storefront?​

We currently have a Community Source! Source URL: https://community-apps.sidestore.io/sidecommunity.json

We also have a service called SideStore Connect which allows developers to publish their own apps.

Why does my app have an update called "pacer test"?​

This was a test update to see if there were problems between major versions, and shouldn’t be seen during normal use. If you see this issue, and it’s after release, then reinstall SideStore or report it as a bug.

Why do my JIT based apps not automatically activate JIT?​

We currently don’t have an automatic JIT activation method, and if we did you would need StosVPN on. Alternatively, you can use StikDebug.

Does SideStore have an iPadOS UI?​

We sure do!

I saw an iMac or MacBook Pro get added to my account. Is it safe, and is it a real Mac?​

These Macs are not real, and they are automatically generated by the Anisette server to assist with login. No private data is sent to the Anisette server either, as the data the server gives is used on SideStore only.

Why is my account getting locked when I use SideStore?​

Older Anisette servers that are used by many users are known to cause locking of Apple ID's. Please use one of the official Anisette servers, or host your own anisette-v3-server.

Can I transfer my AltStore/Sideloadly apps?​

Yes, just don’t remove the original app on your device. Go into SideStore and sideload the same or an updated IPA of the app, and it should be added to your list of apps within SideStore with your data still intact.

Why do I need to refresh SideStore first thing after login?​

This is because iloader and other programs often tend to sideload SideStore with their own app groupID, while we use our own. Refreshing SideStore ensures that it is changed to ours, which makes apps with outdated groupIDs disappear. After a clean install, it’s best to not sideload anything before refreshing SideStore.

Does SideStore support OTA updates?​

Yep! Just click the update button when it appears!

I want to test a SideStore version, and I want my data to stay when switching to a test version. Do I remove my app or sideload the test version via SideStore?​

You can sideload a nightly SideStore version via SideStore or iloader and your data should remain, or enable beta updates and select "nightly" in Settings. We cannot guarantee your data transfers when testing an unofficial or nightly build.

Currently Known issues​

If you're currently having issues and want to know if we already know about them, check out our GitHub issue page and the troubleshooting page which has a list of known issues and ways to mitigate some of the issues you might be having. Some of the issues in this list might be known that are not there, but are in the GitHub issues section. GitHub, troubleshooting.

If you have any issues that aren't in this list. Just make a GitHub issue or join our discord.