[HN Gopher] AltStore PAL, the first alternative app marketplace ...
       ___________________________________________________________________
        
       AltStore PAL, the first alternative app marketplace on iPhone, is
       available now
        
       Author : HelenePhisher
       Score  : 131 points
       Date   : 2024-04-17 17:16 UTC (5 hours ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (mastodon.social)
 (TXT) w3m dump (mastodon.social)
        
       | daveidol wrote:
       | Is there any plan to distribute Delta via the App Store in the US
       | now that emulators are officially allowed?
       | 
       | Or is Delta being used mainly as the incentive to use AltStore?
        
         | lxgr wrote:
         | It's already there (everywhere except in the EU, apparently)!
        
           | daveidol wrote:
           | Really? I can't find it on the US store currently
        
             | nerdjon wrote:
             | https://apps.apple.com/us/app/delta-game-
             | emulator/id10485246...
             | 
             | It is there.
             | 
             | According to the verge it is also identical:
             | https://www.theverge.com/2024/4/17/24132984/delta-free-
             | emula...
             | 
             | Curious why it is not available in the EU on the App Store
             | (if it really isn't, I can't confirm)
        
               | HelenePhisher wrote:
               | It really isn't.
        
               | lxgr wrote:
               | Presumably to encourage people to subscribe to the
               | AltStore, which doesn't feel like a very classy move.
               | (Update below - it might be because of Apple's CTF.)
               | 
               | This is in addition to a somewhat dubious licensing
               | clause on the Delta GitHub repo that violates the GPL,
               | under which most of the emulator cores it uses are
               | licensed: https://github.com/rileytestut/Delta/issues/296
               | 
               | On the other hand, due to how Apple's EU "compliance" is
               | implemented (opting into the new business terms is all-
               | or-nothing per legal entity, not per account), I believe
               | it might be impossible for the developer to now publish
               | any apps in the EU App Store without paying the CTF
               | anyway, so it does all go back to Apple's malicious
               | compliance in the end.
        
               | kmeisthax wrote:
               | Regarding Delta and AGPLv3: I'm not entirely convinced
               | the current Delta terms are actually in violation of
               | AGPLv3.
               | 
               | For context:
               | 
               | > Due to the licensing of emulator cores used by Delta, I
               | have no choice but to distribute Delta under the AGPLv3
               | license. That being said, I explicitly give permission
               | for anyone to use, modify, and distribute all my original
               | code for this project in any form, with or without
               | attribution, without fear of legal consequences -- unless
               | you plan to submit your app to Apple's App Store, in
               | which case written permission from me is explicitly
               | required. Dependencies remain under their original
               | licenses.
               | 
               | Basically, "I grant you the combined work under AGPLv3,
               | plus an exception for my original code." You can make use
               | of the exception iff either that original code is
               | separable from the rest of the work or all other involved
               | copyright holders grant identical exceptions. The "No
               | further restrictions" clause can _only_ apply to code
               | that Riley Testut does not own and is using under the
               | AGPLv3 license.
        
               | moritz64 wrote:
               | Just tried, it is not available in the German App Store
        
             | aprilnya wrote:
             | App Store has this quirk where, when a brand new app
             | releases, it doesn't show up in search results for a bit.
             | So if you're ever trying to find an app that just released,
             | try going to a link instead of using the App Store's search
        
       | rwbt wrote:
       | Love the 'PAL' reference - just like how many in North America
       | were pining for the PAL video standard (initially Europe but
       | later entire world except North America) but we were stuck with
       | NTSC (and doubled down).
        
         | lxgr wrote:
         | On the other hand, many cool games never made it to the PAL
         | region, and a lot of PAL ports (and video releases) got
         | technically botched in some way.
        
           | talldayo wrote:
           | There's a sad bit of irony that the year is 2024 and the game
           | console in your pocket could feasibly run anything you want,
           | but the OEM region-locked it again.
        
             | nfriedly wrote:
             | I initially thought of my RG35XX+ when I read "the game
             | console in your pocket" and thought "no, it's not region
             | locked". Then I realized this was a discussion about
             | iPhones and yes, they are region locked now.
             | 
             | But, FWIW, I've been really happy with acmeplus's beta of
             | Batocera Linux on my RG35XX+. My son and I have been taking
             | turns playing through old gems like Pokemon and Aladdin on
             | it, and I'm hoping to finally beat Final Fantasy VII one of
             | these days.
        
             | kernal wrote:
             | Most, if not all, emulators ignore / bypass region locking.
             | I've yet to come across any emulator that strictly enforces
             | it
        
         | giobox wrote:
         | Really? As someone who grew up with PAL, we were pining for
         | your 60fps NTSC output, especially in fast games like beatem-
         | ups etc (PAL is 50).
         | 
         | I still remember the first time I saw an imported Japanese PS1
         | playing Teken 2, and how much smoother it looked on NTSC. I
         | could never look at my PAL copy the same way again, I couldn't
         | unsee the NTSC version. For me personally, those extra 10
         | frames trump the extra 100 scanlines in PAL etc.
        
           | rwbt wrote:
           | I think gamers preferred NTSC (and 60Hz) but video/movie
           | buffs adored PAL (higher resolution and 25fps being closer to
           | film).
        
             | glhaynes wrote:
             | Honest question: is 25fps a net positive over 29.97 for
             | 24fps content? No 3:2 pulldown judder/tearing, but
             | speed/pitch are wrong. (Not to mention color differences,
             | necessity of a tint knob, etc etc.) I don't recall having
             | heard it discussed; wouldn't surprise me if some types of
             | content are better on each system or it simply comes down
             | to how relatively much the particular person is bothered by
             | the downsides of each.
        
               | giobox wrote:
               | It was kind of a non-issue at the time, for the simple
               | reason the DVD format used by all the players only
               | supported PAL 25fps or NTSC 29.976 IIRC. There was very
               | few "official" ways to get native 24fps content into the
               | home until Blu-Ray, and by then many TVs offered a 24p
               | mode to go with it. Neither PAL nor NTSC is ideal for
               | 24fps content.
        
               | glhaynes wrote:
               | Yeah but what I was interested in was what people who
               | came into contact with both considered superior. I'm
               | gonna nip back across the pond tomorrow so should I watch
               | my Betamax movie tonight or wait until after my Concorde
               | lands? :)
        
         | toast0 wrote:
         | I always wanted to watch movies just a bit faster. (and yes,
         | with more consistent color, and a higher vertical resolution)
         | 
         | Although, I'm sure US commercial TV stations frame drop movies
         | to speed them up so they can insert more commercials these days
         | anyway.
        
           | reaperducer wrote:
           | _Although, I 'm sure US commercial TV stations frame drop
           | movies to speed them up so they can insert more commercials
           | these days anyway._
           | 
           | I can't say how it's done today, but at the TV station where
           | I worked in the 1990's, we did. But we never dropped frames
           | of content. That would cause all kinds of copyright and
           | contract problems.
           | 
           | We did, however, drop frames of black and superblack. In an
           | average hour, we were able to get back enough frames to
           | insert an extra 15-second commercial at the top of the hour.
        
       | lycos wrote:
       | Delta for free in the regular App Store everywhere but the EU
       | where we have to download a paid app store to install it, so it
       | begins.
        
         | nerdjon wrote:
         | Right?
         | 
         | This is exactly what I have been worried about and people tried
         | to explain to tell me that, no this doesn't remove choice from
         | me as a user.
         | 
         | When in fact it does, if I was in the EU (and if the US does
         | something similar, likely here) if I wanted to download this I
         | would have to use their store. The choice is being made for me
         | by the developer.
         | 
         | It didn't take long to already have an example of this
         | happening and bigger companies will likely follow suit.
         | 
         | So how exactly does this benefit users again and isn't all
         | about appeasing developers?
        
           | talldayo wrote:
           | Because... the developer didn't swallow Apple's fee for you?
           | 
           | Your decision is to pay Apple's fee that they claim is fair,
           | or not use the app. I don't really see how we can shake our
           | fists at the developers and publishers for not sponsoring the
           | distribution of their FOSS app. It's very clearly the Unity-
           | esque installation fee that is the problem here.
        
             | nerdjon wrote:
             | Um... no where did I mention anything about the fee...
             | 
             | They could have put the app on the app store on the EU and
             | on their store. But did not.
        
               | littlestymaar wrote:
               | They tried to put their app on the App store since 2016!
               | Apple refused, for EIGHT years! Then they developed their
               | own version of an indie app store so that they can
               | actually distribute the emulator because of that.
               | 
               | Apple only allowed it to be published on the app store
               | TODAY, just the day of the release of the AltStore
               | because they are trying to make a point, the malice is on
               | Apple's side here. But the comments here make it sounds
               | like it works on their all most hardcore fanbase.
        
               | nerdjon wrote:
               | I think it was last week we were talking about a
               | different emulator that was approved, so let's not try to
               | jump to conclusions about why Apple may or may not have
               | done something.
               | 
               | I have not seen anything that the release on the App
               | Store was held up by apple and that this wasn't just
               | instead an simultaneous release on both platforms by the
               | developer.
               | 
               | Yes Apple did not previously allow this until they
               | changed their policy recently to allow emulation (which I
               | think was about a month ago).
               | 
               | This does not change the fact that the developer is
               | choosing to put the app on the App Store everywhere
               | except for the EU, and in the EU you have to use their
               | store.
        
               | littlestymaar wrote:
               | > I have not seen anything that the release on the App
               | Store was held up by apple and that this wasn't just
               | instead an simultaneous release on both platforms by the
               | developer.
               | 
               | See this commit from 3 years ago[1]! On Delta's Repo:
               | 
               | > Delta was originally developed under the impression
               | Apple would allow it into the App Store. Unfortunately
               | Apple later changed their minds, leaving me no choice but
               | to find a new way to distribute Delta. Long story short,
               | this led me to create AltStore, which now serves as the
               | official way to install Delta onto your device.
               | 
               | The main reason why you "have not seen anything that the
               | release on the App Store was held up by apple" is that
               | because you did not want to see it, because it goes
               | against your believes (believes that have been
               | manufactured by Apple's propaganda machine).
               | 
               | > Yes Apple did not previously allow this until they
               | changed their policy recently to allow emulation (which I
               | think was about a month ago).
               | 
               | And guess why their changed their policy? Because of DMA
               | put them in an untenable posture.
               | 
               | > This does not change the fact that the developer is
               | choosing to put the app on the App Store everywhere
               | except for the EU, and in the EU you have to use their
               | store.
               | 
               | That's a genuine "fuck you Apple" move, which is
               | understandable given how much "fuck you Delta" Apple gave
               | them before, but it's also a bit of a problem. But here
               | again this is 100% on Apple! They can 100% ban this kind
               | of things by adding a policy to the app store that says
               | "If you want to distribute on the App store outside of
               | the EU, you have to provide your software on the app
               | store in the EU as well" even if that doesn't prevent the
               | release on an alternative store. The main reason why they
               | don't do that, is because it would ruin their FUD about
               | this exact situation.
               | 
               | You are being manipulated by a trillion dollar company,
               | that not only hate your individual freedom, but also
               | wants to make sure you hate it yourself so you never ask
               | for it. And unfortunately that propaganda keeps proving
               | highly effective...
               | 
               | [1] https://github.com/rileytestut/Delta/blob/abd7338a08a
               | 4948c55...
        
               | nerdjon wrote:
               | > The main reason why you "have not seen anything that
               | the release on the App Store was held up by apple" is
               | that because you did not want to see it, because it goes
               | against your believes (believes that have been
               | manufactured by Apple's propaganda machine).
               | 
               | I really feel like it should be obvious that I am talking
               | about since apple made the policy change regarding
               | emulators. It is well understood that before about a
               | month or so ago there was a policy against emulators.
               | 
               | I am talking about since that policy change went into
               | effect and the software was in place for it (as in the
               | iOS version was rolled out).
               | 
               | Apple had allowed am emulator on the App Store within the
               | last couple weeks, which doesn't line up with your
               | conspiracy theory that the only reason this one was
               | allowed was because of their own store.
               | 
               | And no this is not 100% on apple. The developer could
               | have put it on the App Store in all regions. Again, Apple
               | approved an emulator recently.
        
           | goosedragons wrote:
           | Whose fault is it that it has to be a paid app store? Blame
           | Apple for their ridiculous policies that essentially require
           | it.
        
             | nerdjon wrote:
             | I never mentioned anything about the fee, just that you
             | have to use a different store.
        
               | littlestymaar wrote:
               | A different store than what, Delta wasn't even available
               | on the app store until earlier today!
               | 
               | And the irony is that they had to develop the entire
               | store just so that they could bypass the walled garden.
        
               | nerdjon wrote:
               | > A different store than what, Delta wasn't even
               | available on the app store until earlier today!
               | 
               | And unless I am missing something it wasn't available on
               | this alternative store until today. What does that change
               | about the conversation?
               | 
               | > And the irony is that they had to develop the entire
               | store just so that they could bypass the walled garden.
               | 
               | Clearly not since it is available on the Apple App Store
               | in every country other than the EU.
        
               | goosedragons wrote:
               | It was available on the not PAL AltStore. AltStore was
               | originally created to distribute Delta because Apple
               | wouldn't allow it.
        
               | littlestymaar wrote:
               | > And unless I am missing something it wasn't available
               | on this alternative store until today. What does that
               | change about the conversation?
               | 
               | See the sibling response.
               | 
               | > Clearly not since it is available on the Apple App
               | Store in every country other than the EU.
               | 
               | As of... TODAY! Day of the release of the alternative
               | store. What a marvelous coincidence for an emulator that
               | has been submitted years ago on the App store and blocked
               | by Apple for all this time!
               | 
               | Yes, Apple recently changed their policy about emulators
               | ... as a result of the exact same Digital Market Act that
               | allowed this alternative store to exist. Again, this
               | isn't a coincidence, it's just how the consequences of
               | the regulation are unfolding and how Apple is trying to
               | cope with it (in a surprisingly clumsy way).
        
           | realusername wrote:
           | > So how exactly does this benefit users again and isn't all
           | about appeasing developers?
           | 
           | You can blame Apple here, by adding a fee per install, if you
           | choose to go outside the appstore, you pretty much have to
           | remove the free appstore option otherwise why would anybody
           | use the other one?
           | 
           | The weird economics Apple has created discourages using both.
        
             | nerdjon wrote:
             | Clearly though they are fine with charging a yearly fee to
             | access the store. So why not just charge for the app in the
             | EU IF that really is the problem here.
             | 
             | Give users that choice, that is all I am asking for here.
             | Actually give users a choice instead of removing the choice
             | from them. Which at this point in time, that choice is
             | being removed from the user.
        
               | realusername wrote:
               | It's not that they are fine with charging, it's that they
               | have no choice, they are charging the bare minimum to
               | cover the new Apple fees.
               | 
               | Sure they could create a paid appstore option only in the
               | EU (if that's not against the appstore guidelines
               | somehow, I don't know) but that might not align well with
               | their strategy.
               | 
               | Additionally I also feel it would kind of be a bad PR on
               | their side as well to charge more on the appstore in the
               | EU.
        
         | tapoxi wrote:
         | Don't you find the timing of them suddenly allowing emulators
         | suspicious? If it weren't for that alt app store, would the
         | U.S. app store have emulators at all?
        
           | kernal wrote:
           | Not a chance. This is Apple making their users stick with the
           | App Store as their only store.
        
         | littlestymaar wrote:
         | Until recently (that is, until today), Delta wasn't even
         | available in the app store to begin with. And most likely it
         | and that would still be without the alternative store, since
         | Apple is only eventually allowing it to make a point.
        
           | nerdjon wrote:
           | > since Apple is only eventually allowing it to make a point.
           | 
           | No.. no they are not.
           | 
           | They clearly made a policy change and allowed another
           | emulator on the App Store
           | https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2024/04/apple-removes-the-
           | fir...
        
             | pfg_ wrote:
             | Why did they do that? Did they just decide to after 6 years
             | randomly with no inciting incident? Or did they decide to
             | because they were being forced to allow alternative app
             | stores which would allow emulator installation anyway?
        
               | nerdjon wrote:
               | Probably, and I am not arguing that.
               | 
               | I think it is important to point out that clearly there
               | could be improvements to the App Store without opening it
               | wide open.
               | 
               | However, this has nothing to do with my core problem here
               | of now in the EU having no choice but to use an
               | alternative store. When every other country can just
               | download it from the App Store.
               | 
               | My problem here is not that alternative store exist. my
               | problem is that we are already seeing a developer making
               | the choice for me of where I can download the app from.
               | 
               | Which is why I replied with an article, if Apple was just
               | focusing on "making a point" the previous emulator would
               | not have been approved.
        
               | herrkanin wrote:
               | - Alternative app marketplaces become allowed.
               | 
               | - Apple sees emulators as a potential market for
               | alternative app stores and proactively chooses to allow
               | them in the Apple App Store.
               | 
               | - This is a clear example of how competition in the app
               | market place being a positive thing.
               | 
               | - Developer creates an alternative app marketplace, with
               | an emulator as one of its main apps on launch, realizing
               | the competition that forced Apple to update their rules
               | to allow emulators in their own store.
               | 
               | I'm sorry you feel forced to download a separate app
               | store, but don't you see how you in the end are
               | benefitting from this change even without using the
               | AltStore? Give it some time and you will probably have
               | another emulator in the app store you can choose to
               | download.
        
               | ribosometronome wrote:
               | >I'm sorry you feel forced to download a separate app
               | store, but don't you see how you in the end are
               | benefitting from this change even without using the
               | AltStore?
               | 
               | Not really, so far. Are there any game systems that don't
               | require some level of special hardware to back them up?
               | Dreamcast? I don't think I know anyone who has ever made
               | themselves a 'backup copy' of a game they've purchased,
               | much less then played that backup copy on another device.
               | I'm sure they exist, but in numbers even smaller than
               | linux isos on BitTorrent.
        
               | pfg_ wrote:
               | This is a little bit apple's fault - if any app is
               | distributed outside the app store, the developer now has
               | to pay a fee per-install even for installs from the app
               | store (50C/ per install!). He could have chosen not to
               | put Delta in AltStore and only put it in the app store,
               | then it could be free on the app store. Either way, you
               | don't get a choice. You install from the app store, or
               | you install from AltStore, but it can't be on both
               | because of apple policy. This is what apple wants, and is
               | why the fee exists. Hopefully it violates the DMA and
               | they'll be forced to change that.
        
         | tomduncalf wrote:
         | Why is it not available in the EU? Is this just the Delta
         | developer wanting to promote/push people to their App Store, or
         | is there some other reason e.g. Apple don't allow the app in
         | the EU? I'm a bit confused why it would be on alternative store
         | at all, if Apple now allow these apps... can someone ELI5?
         | 
         | (I'm in the UK so can download from the App Store, finally a
         | benefit of you-know-what lol)
        
           | yreg wrote:
           | I think they cannot put it on both stores per Apple rules.
           | And since the Delta developer is the same person as the Alt
           | Store developer he chose to put it on his own store.
        
             | tomduncalf wrote:
             | I see! I guess I don't understand why the developer would
             | bother with their own store if the App Store now allows
             | emulators, and the Delta app is free - but I guess this was
             | only a recent change, maybe allowed by Apple purely as a
             | way to try to stop people going to alt stores?
             | 
             | I guess maybe the developer feels it's their duty to follow
             | the alt store thing through to keep pressure on Apple? Or
             | maybe they stand to make money (either now or in future
             | with other apps) from their store?
        
               | troupo wrote:
               | > why the developer would bother with their own store if
               | the App Store now allows emulators
               | 
               | The keyword is _now_ allows emulators. They didn 't allow
               | it 3 weeks ago. Or a year ago. Or 10 years ago.
               | 
               | Only _now_ , with alternative stores launching and
               | offering this, Apple has finally allowed emulators.
               | 
               | Perhaps the developer doesn't want to be beholden to
               | Apple's whims? Especially after investing a lot of effort
               | into setting up an alternative store?
        
       | tdsanchez wrote:
       | Cydia was the first alternate app store.
        
         | EcommerceFlow wrote:
         | I wonder if Cydia would be allowed on the new alternative app
         | marketplace...
        
           | pfg_ wrote:
           | Cydia installs deb packages which can modify system files.
           | The EU method only allows installation of signed .ipa apps
        
         | aptgetrekt wrote:
         | *Cydia was the first app store [on iPhones]
        
         | lantonmills wrote:
         | You're forgetting Installer.app, which predated Cydia!
         | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Installer.app
        
         | aprilnya wrote:
         | This is specifically talking about alternate app stores
         | _through Apple 's new official way of doing it_. If we're
         | talking about alternate app stores in general, even AltStore
         | itself was before AltStore PAL
        
       | DavideNL wrote:
       | Links to announcement from AltStore themselves:
       | 
       | - https://fosstodon.org/@altstore/112287538562764439
       | 
       | - https://fosstodon.org/@altstore/112287558511134794
        
       | lapcat wrote:
       | "For developers who choose to agree to the new business terms,
       | membership in the Apple Developer Program includes one million
       | first annual installs per year for free for apps distributed from
       | the App Store, Web Distribution, and/or alternative
       | marketplaces."
       | 
       | https://developer.apple.com/support/core-technology-fee/
       | 
       | This is what some commenters here don't understand when they
       | criticize the developer for not offering a free App Store version
       | in the EU. Once a developer distributes outside the App Store in
       | the EU, Apple applies the CTF to _everything_ the developer
       | distributes in the EU, whether inside or outside the App Store.
       | Financially, there 's no way that they could offer a free version
       | in the EU.
       | 
       | Also note: "Developers of alternative app marketplaces will pay
       | the Core Technology Fee for every first annual install of their
       | app marketplace, including installs that occur before one
       | million."
        
         | threeseed wrote:
         | There is nothing stopping you having multiple developer
         | accounts.
         | 
         | And there is the option of setting up a non-profit which
         | removes the CTF.
         | 
         | It seems much more like the aim is to drive usage towards the
         | AltStore.
        
           | lapcat wrote:
           | Why in the world would the developer want to jump through
           | these hoops just to support the crApp Store in the EU?
           | 
           | Apple has made this situation way more difficult than it
           | needs to be. Don't blame the victims. Also, the EU is already
           | investigating, and it's not clear that Apple's Rube Goldberg
           | machine will ultimately stand up to DMA scrutiny.
        
             | threeseed wrote:
             | Developers aren't victims. And nobody is blaming them.
             | 
             | Just explaining that there are ways to get around the
             | situation.
             | 
             | And yes these are additional hoops but not that much harder
             | than setting up the account in the first place.
        
               | lapcat wrote:
               | This is such a stereotypical HN comment. Everything is
               | easy, according to HN armchair quarterbacks. Setting up a
               | nonprofit organization? No problem! :eye roll:
        
               | threeseed wrote:
               | Nobody said it was easy.
               | 
               | But you do have to setup and operate a company to run a
               | store or sell an app.
               | 
               | Adding non-profit on top in many places isn't that much
               | more effort.
        
               | lapcat wrote:
               | > Nobody said it was easy.
               | 
               | Yes, you did: "not that much harder than setting up the
               | account in the first place" and "isn't that much more
               | effort".
               | 
               | > But you do have to setup and operate a company to run a
               | store or sell an app.
               | 
               | No, you don't actually have to setup and operate a
               | company to sell an app.
        
       | davelondon wrote:
       | I signed up, paid EUR1.50 and was only then told I wasn't
       | eligible. I can imagine they're going to be doing a lot of
       | EUR1.50 refunds
        
         | SllX wrote:
         | Outside the EU?
         | 
         | Looks like they make it incredibly easy to pay with no pre-
         | verification, so yeah, probably a lot of refunds.
        
           | madjam002 wrote:
           | Yeah they really should be using Stripe to authorise the card
           | payment and then capture it when the app is successfully
           | installed
        
         | darknavi wrote:
         | How do I request a refund, I am in the same boat...
        
       | phantompeace wrote:
       | Hmm, my Apple ID is set to the UK, i paid using a UK card
       | (Monzo), whilst connected to my home VPN (tunnelled) but
       | currently abroad on holiday in Asia and it's telling me I need to
       | physically be in the EU to install it...
        
         | m463 wrote:
         | No matter what apple says about privacy being a right, they
         | don't let your location be private to their business.
         | 
         | I remember years ago turning off location services on my
         | iphone, and finding my iphone connecting to _.ls.apple.com all
         | the time (location services).
         | 
         | I just think people don't want to give up control. They just
         | trick/force/wear down people/customers until they give up
         | _their* control.
         | 
         | It's too bad. I remember reading Matt Ridley's "the rational
         | optimist" I think he said that when trading partners have
         | trust, trading is unlimited.
         | 
         | If I was treated with respect by apple, I would have trust and
         | buy all kinds of things from them. Instead, I have to do this
         | careful calculus, with devices, upgrades, apps and usually do
         | not.
        
           | Almondsetat wrote:
           | Even if you turn them off you can still get tracked through
           | SSIDs
        
         | ktosobcy wrote:
         | Would that even work in the UK considering Brexit el al?
         | 
         | Besides Apple already mentioned that it's location based and if
         | you go out of the EU you will only have about month of "trial"
         | to use the apps... Apple can go to hell :D
        
         | KeplerBoy wrote:
         | The UK hasn't been part of the EU for quite some time now.
        
         | polski-g wrote:
         | You need a faraday cage and a GPS spoof.
        
         | basisword wrote:
         | Have you forgotten...brexit? We no longer get to enjoy the
         | benefits of the EU.
        
           | phantompeace wrote:
           | To be honest, after the vote I didn't really keep up as I
           | thought (hoped) real change would take ages to kick in. Guess
           | we're finally, actually out. Will request a refund.
        
             | basisword wrote:
             | It officially occurred at the end of January 2020. I think
             | something else important happened around that time that
             | made it easy to miss :) Pre-existing law (e.g. GDPR)
             | continues to until we remove it. New regulations like the
             | DMA won't ever apply.
        
         | madeofpalk wrote:
         | Well, UK isn't in the EU.
        
         | DRW_ wrote:
         | Have you been abroad since before June 23rd 2016?
        
           | phantompeace wrote:
           | Yes, but I think the post-brexit transition phase tricked me
           | into believing the change wouldn't be this drastic. Sigh.
        
         | TiredOfLife wrote:
         | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brexit
        
       | pretext-1 wrote:
       | There seems to be an issue with the download. After purchasing it
       | redirects to a download page but when clicking on download
       | nothing happens. Other users on Reddit are reporting this too.
       | Hope it gets fixed or refunded.
        
         | roblabla wrote:
         | I had the same problem. I had to long press the download button
         | and open in a new tab for it to do anything. It then showed the
         | popup saying I needed to allow installation of the app in the
         | settings before long-pressing download again.
        
       | masfuerte wrote:
       | Offtopic: a while ago the mastodon web interface changed so you
       | had to enable javascript to see anything. I stopped reading
       | mastodon links. I've just noticed that the server will cough up
       | the post if you add "/embed" to the url. For the fine article:
       | 
       | https://mastodon.social/@stroughtonsmith/112287515017810339/...
        
       | topherPedersen wrote:
       | When will third party app stores be available in the United
       | States?
        
         | aprilnya wrote:
         | Apple is only doing this because the EU forced them to, so
         | unless the US forces them to as well, it will never happen. App
         | Store is Apple's golden goose and they would never give even a
         | slice of it up voluntarily
        
           | ClassyJacket wrote:
           | Poor destitute Apple, they have to keep the iPhone a walled
           | garden to feed their families. They don't have anywhere near
           | enough money already. The executives are surviving on cabbage
           | soup. Tim Cook will literally have to eat cardboard for
           | dinner if they don't make another hundred billion dollars
           | next year.
        
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