Aptoide, a well-known Google Play alternative for Android devices, is set to launch an iOS game marketplace on Thursday, June 6, in the European Union.
The Aptoide iOS store will debut with a limited selection of titles. However, the company has stated that new games will be added daily, with 30 titles currently undergoing the inclusion process. Examples of the initial offerings include Word Jungle, Condor — Leap of Faith, Solitaire, Mahjong, and Charades.
Initially, access to the store will be limited to users with invitation-only access codes. Aptoide has a waiting list of 20,000 signups and plans to issue between 500 to 1,000 codes per day.
According to The Verge, Aptoide is the first third-party iOS marketplace to launch with an Apple-approved in-app purchases (IAP) solution. This will be provided to developers through an IAP software development kit. Apple’s 50 euro cents Core Technology Fee (CFT) will be covered by a fee charged to developers for in-app purchases, making IAP-driven apps “preferred” in Aptoide iOS, according to the marketplace’s CEO, Paulo Trezentos.
Apps distributed through alternative app marketplaces must undergo a notarization process to ensure they are free from malware. Apple does not impose content restrictions, so apps that might not have been eligible for the App Store can be distributed through alternative means. These alternative app marketplaces are only available within the European Union.
Aptoide has operated as an Android App Store since 2009 and reached nearly half a billion downloads last year.
