AltStore PAL cancels its annual subscription thanks to a donation from Epic

AltStore PAL, a third-party iOS app store available in the EU, is canceling its annual €1.50 (plus tax) subscription after receiving a “MegaGrant” from Fortnite developer Epic Games. AltStore originally charged the subscription to help cover Apple’s Core Technology Fee (CTF), which is a fee that third-party app marketplaces must pay for each annual app install.

Epic uses MegaGrants as a way to “sponsor the development of exciting projects that would otherwise not have enough funding to be fully realized.” the company says. Grants typically go to smaller teams that use Epic technologies to “bring bold, challenging, and incredibly creative dreams to life,” but in this case, Epic awarded the grant for “innovation in app delivery.” according to AltStore.

AltStore did not share the dollar amount of the donation. AltStore’s Shane Gill declined to comment.

Current subscribers will not be charged when their renewal date arrives, AltStore says. The AltStore team also plans to “show our appreciation for existing subscribers in a future update,” but did not specify what that would look like.

Update, August 15: AltStore declined to comment.