A guide to side-loading using AltStore and LiveContainer on IPhone
Posted: 9/4/2025, 4:05:07 PM — Views: 31
Table of contents:
- What is Sideloading and why it’s useful
- Acknowledgements and other excellent guides
- AltStore (Classic): step-by-step
- LiveContainer: Installation guide
- Enabling JIT
- Recent news
- Disclaimer, Warnings and good Practice
1. WHAT IS SIDELOADING and why it’s useful:
Sideloading means installing apps on iOS without using Apple’s App Store. It’s useful for:
- Installing modded (cracked) app versions of popular apps and games.
- Running open-source apps, experimental builds.
- Using specialized utilities, game emulators, or tooling that isn’t allowed in the App Store.
2. Acknowledgements and other excellent guides:
There are already excellent, detailed installation guides and documentations from AltStore and Reddit. This guide does not replace those resources, Instead this aims at being concise and practical, while connecting This installation guide with Live Container’s guide, with troubleshooting tips, and discussing problems I myself faced through this process. However, if you now wish to follow the official guide based on the practical usefulness of AltStore and sideloading, and wish to follow the original guide, here are the links:
Altstore official guide:
a. How to install using Windows: https://faq.altstore.io/altstore-classic/how-to-install-altstore-windows
b. How to install using Mac: https://faq.altstore.io/altstore-classic/how-to-install-altstore-macos
Reddit guides:
a. [not up to date]: https://bradleytechman.github.io/AltStore-Beginners-Guide/#altstore
Live Container guides:
a. Github repo: https://github.com/LiveContainer/LiveContainer
b. Reddit guide: https://www.reddit.com/r/sideloaded/comments/1kchahf/setup_livecontainer_and_dont_ever_worry_about_the/
b. Reddit guide, using sidestore (alternative to AltStore): https://www.reddit.com/r/sideloaded/comments/1n2ujvv/a_guide_to_setting_up_livecontainer_sidestore/
3. ALTSTORE (CLASSIC): step-by-step:
Requirements
- Mac or Windows PC.
- A Lightning/USB-C cable (or Wi‑Fi configured for AltServer).
- Your Apple ID (free works, paid Developer account gets rid of some limitations).
- The IPA you want to install (or AltStore’s sources).
1) Download AltServer (macOS or Windows) from the official AltStore site: https://altstore.io
2) Install and run AltServer on your computer. On macOS, AltServer lives in the menu bar; on Windows it’s present in the system tray.
3) Connect your iPhone to the computer and "Trust" the computer when prompted on the phone.
4) From AltServer choose "Install AltStore → [your device]". AltServer will ask for your Apple ID to sign AltStore for you.
Here you have two options:
A. Use your own Apple ID and password to log in: A convenient method.
B. Create a separate (throwaway) Apple ID to log in: The only reason for doing this, if you’re concerned about your privacy or if you have many things already connected to your Apple ID (I personally have tried both methods). Here is a reddit thread discussing why creating a new throwaway apple might be necessary: https://www.reddit.com/r/AltStore/comments/u5fun7/what_guarantee_do_i_have_that_my_apple_id_is_safe/
Here’s a guide on how you can create and use a throwaway Apple ID, if you plan to, otherwise continue to step 5:
B.1. Create a new account here: https://account.apple.com/account#
B.2. Log in to your iPhone, or Mac with this newly created Apple ID. You don’t have to log out of your main iCloudID. Search Internet Accounts in the settings, and add this account as a new iCloudId (important for receiving the OTP for log in later).
B.3. Use this ID and password and try to sign up to AltStore.
B.4. When logging in, you’ll be asked for a OTP. For this, you’re simultaneously required to log in to your original AppleID on you laptop’s browser (private window). You’ll receive a legitimate OTP this time. Which will be use for the AltStore authentication thought (don’t use the OTP on the laptop’s private browsing).
5) On the iPhone go to Settings → General → VPN & Device Management, find your Apple ID developer profile and “Trust” it. Now if you used your own iCloudId, you’ll see a new device appear in Settings → iCloudId → Scroll down to devices.
6) Open AltStore on the iPhone. To install an IPA: My Apps → + → choose an IPA from Files (any ipa file which you have previously downloaded works).
7) Now a AltStore refresh is required every seven days. Which will require going to AltStore → My Apps → Refresh all.
Note: For this, it’s required that your iPhone be connected to the same laptop you started this setup with, either physically (with usb-c/lightning) or via same wifi (make sure you’ve turned this setting on). AltStore will try to run automatic refreshes with the conditions are met, but usually a manual refresh is required. A shortcut form the shortcuts app can always be create for this.
4. LIVECONTAINER: Installation guide:
- LiveContainer bundles multiple apps inside a single container, which works like a work-around the 3 app limits.
- Installing this is the same as installing any other .ipa file inside AltStore. After this host app is installed, add inner apps via the container UI. This is like a VM to house your .ipa apps in.
- For launching apps in Live container, go to settings and click on Patch AltStore.
5. Enabling JIT:
- Download StikDebug app on iPhone via AppStore (yes it’s still useful): https://apps.apple.com/au/app/stikdebug/id6744045754
- To generate a .plist file, iDevice needs to be downloaded on the laptop: https://github.com/jkcoxson/idevice_pair/releases
- Connect your iPhone to your laptop via cable, and run ‘ idevicepair pair ‘ in the terminal. This establishes a lockdown pairing between the host and the phone.
- Locate and export the pairing plist: After running the above, a .plist file is automatically downloaded in the lockdown/pairing folder. Windows (GUI) offers a “Save pairing file” or “Export” button which can be exported in your iPhone’s files app.
- Import the .plist file to the StikDebug’s: Import or Connect / “Pairing file” option.
- 2 Live Container settings now have need be change: go to settings → JIT Enabler and select StikDebug, and turn on Launch with JIT for any game/app you’re trying to run using JIT, in that app’s settings (A lightning symbol will appear after a app’s name).
You may now run your application with or without JIT, in liveContainer or AltStore!!!
6. Recent news:
- Downloading apk files on android phones, is relatively very simple, and won’t require 30 mins of setup. That however is about to change after the recent announcements around ‘developer verification aim to make downloading unauthenticated sources more difficult on many Android devices starting in 2026, ostensibly to curb malware’.
Here is an article: https://9to5google.com/2025/08/25/android-apps-developer-verification/
Here’s a good YouTube video discussing this problem in detail: https://youtu.be/QBEKlIV_70E?si=KIV-MUYQ1iGXRB-x
7. Disclaimer, Warnings and good Practice:
- Only install notarized ADPs or IPAs from developers you trust. Usually GitHub open sourced projects are considered safe.
- Keep frequent backups and know how to restore your device.
- Consider a paid Apple Developer account if you require more than 3 concurrent apps and/or want to avoid the 7-day refresh period.
- Expect breakage after iOS updates; follow the AltStore/AltStore PAL project GitHub pages for updates.
- App expired? In AltStore: My Apps → tap the app → Refresh.
Disclaimer: This guide explains sideloading for legal, educational, or development purposes only. I do not condone or link to cracked, pirated, or modded apps; use only legally obtained software.
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