Apple’s walled garden is cracking, and an Indie App Store holds the chisel
AltStore PAL, the first third-party iOS marketplace born in Europe, is expanding into more countries, testing Apple’s control of the iPhone worldwide.
For over a decade, Apple has ruled the App Store like a digital monarchy, gatekeeping everything that enters the iPhone ecosystem. With strict rules and steep tolls, this exclusive software gateway has been immensely lucrative for the Cupertino giant.
The App Store gives mobile developers access to more than a billion iPhone users worldwide. Last year alone, the platform facilitated about $1.3 trillion in billings and sales on the platform. Roughly 10% of which ($131 billion) came from digital goods and services, where Apple takes a 15% to 30% cut, according to its 2025 App Store Transparency Report. It’s no surprise that Apple has fought fiercely to keep its walled garden impenetrable.
But the bricks of those walls are starting to chip away. Apple is slowly, painstakingly losing its grip over the marketplace it created, locked in a long global battle over its right to dictate terms to developers. Regulators across the world are now cracking down, accusing Apple of antitrust violations.
And in Europe, the first major breach has appeared, heralded by the launch of AltStore PAL, the EU’s first official third-party iOS app store. Now, the alternative marketplace is preparing to expand to more countries, further challenging Apple’s app store ecosystem
The First Crack in the Walled Garden
AltStore PAL's arrival as an alternate marketplace on the App Store was a direct result of the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), a sweeping legislative hammer designed to break the dominance of "gatekeeper" platforms like Apple, including the USB-C enforcement, the ability to change Siri and Photos app, from the default apps and many more.
