LiveContainer on the iPhone and a native Allternit iOS app
What LiveContainer can do, what it cannot, and the two lanes to get Allternit iOS on a phone
Yes to both questions. LiveContainer runs IPA files on your iPhone today, and Allternit can become a native iOS app by wrapping the existing web app. LiveContainer is the test lane, not the shipping lane.
Verdict
"Short answer"
LiveContainer loads unsigned iOS apps onto the iPhone. It needs no Allternit phone link; it runs on the phone itself. Allternit iOS is a real but scoped build: wrap the web app, then install the IPA.
- Project
- LiveContainer, open source, AGPL-3.0
- Runs on
- iOS / iPadOS 15 and later
- Install it once via
- AltStore 2.0+ or SideStore 0.6.0+
- App limit
- none — many apps inside one container
- Signing
- bypassed with JIT below iOS 26; else re-signed in-app
- Allternit app today
- Vite + React TypeScript web app, no iOS code yet
How an app reaches the phone
What works and what does not
| Capability | Status |
|---|---|
| Many apps in one App ID | |
| Multiple versions with separate data | |
| Multitasking windows and PiP | |
| Local notifications | enable Fix Local Notifications per app |
| Remote push notifications | |
| App extensions | |
| Guest app entitlements | host keeps only basic ones |
| Sandbox between guest apps | apps see each other's data |
| Custom URL scheme queries | may fail |
| Arbitrary IPA runs | compatibility varies, see the repo list |
Lane 1 — test on your iPhone with LiveContainer
- Build the Allternit app as an IPA.
- Open LiveContainer and tap +.
- Pick the IPA and launch it.
- Good for daily testing on your own device.
- No remote push; login data lives inside the container.
- Use official builds only: third-party builds can read your keychain.
- AGPL: running your own app inside is fine; shipping a changed container triggers AGPL.
Lane 2 — ship to real users
| Lane | Cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| LiveContainer | free | your own device, testing |
| Free Apple ID + AltStore | free, 7-day expiry, 3-app limit | quick dev checks |
| Developer Program + TestFlight | $99 per year | beta testers |
| App Store | $99 per year plus review | everyone |
What "build Allternit iOS" means
- allternit-ai is a Vite + React TypeScript web app.
- Desktop is Electron; packaging lives in allternit-platform.
- No ios folder, no Android folder, no Capacitor config exists today.
- Fastest route: a Capacitor shell around the web build, a WKWebView app.
- The phone layout and the m.allternit.com PWA already prove the UI fits a phone.
- A new surface is a scoped project: shell, native push, Clerk auth, docs. Not a same-session add-on.