LiveContainer is not an App Store bypass for users
It loads an app on one phone at a time; the PWA is already the no-App-Store lane for users
LiveContainer cannot distribute your app to users. It loads an IPA on one device at a time, and every user needs the sideload setup first. The PWA already gives users an App-Store-free install. Keep it as the user lane.
Verdict
"The catch"
LiveContainer is a per-device test tool, not a store. Each user would need AltStore or SideStore before they can even load your IPA. That is a support burden, not a product. For users, the PWA is the App-Store-free lane that already works.
- LiveContainer
- one device, manual IPA import, dev setup per user
- PWA today
- open m.allternit.com, tap Add to Home Screen
- Web push on iOS
- works for an installed PWA since iOS 16.4
- Updates
- PWA updates on next open; LiveContainer needs a new IPA per release
- Apple-sanctioned user lanes
- App Store, TestFlight, or EU marketplaces only
What each route asks of one user
| Step | LiveContainer | PWA |
|---|---|---|
| Install something first | AltStore or SideStore, needs a computer once | nothing |
| Get the app | import an IPA file | open the site, Add to Home Screen |
| App updates | re-import the IPA | automatic on next open |
| Remote push | since iOS 16.4 | |
| User effort | high | low |
What breaks for Allternit inside LiveContainer
- Remote push notifications do not work.
- Guest apps are not sandboxed from each other.
- Login data lives inside the container; third-party builds can read it.
- Compatibility varies per IPA.
- Every release means a new IPA file on every user's phone.
Where LiveContainer does fit
- Test a Capacitor native shell on your own iPhone.
- Try iOS-only APIs a WKWebView PWA cannot reach.
- One device, your hands, no review, no fee.