AltStore and the Indie App Renaissance, with Shane Gill and Riley Testut
After Apple rejected their app, Riley Testut and Shane Gill built AltStore — an independent app store that gives indie developers new ways to distribute software, connect with users, and leverage the open social web.
Dot Social · Mike McCue, Riley Testut, Shane Gill
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Show Notes
AltStore co-founders Riley Testut and Shane Gill are the perfect example of necessity being the mother of invention. When Apple denied the launch of their retro video game app, Delta, in 2016, they realized that indie app developers needed another solution — one that could bring apps to communities without Apple dictating the rules and taking a cut.
Founded in 2019, AltStore is that solution. The creators of the first decentralized app store share their journey, including what an open app store means for developers and how they’re investing in the fediverse.
The conversation includes:
1:11 Genesis of AltStore
3:00 Getting Delta in Apple’s App Store
5:34 The Fortnite factor
8:10 The value of an alternative app store
12:04 The difference between putting an app in AltStore v App Store
14:41 Indie market for apps
18:03 Ecosystem safety
21:30 Is AI increasing the total number of apps out there?
22:45 Vibe coding and paths for app distribution
24:42 Fediverse and eureka moment
32:26 People-powered discovery — a broader movement
34:29 Building communities around apps
36:44 Patreon integration, supporting developers directly
38:38 Curating apps and source collections
40:07 Solutions for in-app payments
43:27 Pieces of the next generation ecosystem
45:56 Decentralizing app innovation
46:32 Relationship with Apple now
51:23 What’s on the horizon for AltStore
54:21 How to experience AltStore
Referenced:
- Explore AltStore: https://explore.alt.store/
- Riley + Shane’s Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/cw/rileyshane
🔎 You can find Riley and Shane at https://altstore.io/.
✚ Connect with host Mike McCue at @[email protected] and @mmccue.bsky.social.
🌊 Catch the wave! Surf the open social web and create your own custom feeds at surf.social, a new product from the people at Flipboard. https://about.surf.social/
Disclosure: Dot Social host Mike McCue serves on the board of AltStore.