SideInstaller: installing SideStore on iOS 27 without a PC

The PC step SideInstaller removes

Sideloading with SideStore normally starts at a computer. The README frames this as the problem: SideStore and LiveContainer are, in its words, "the best way to sideload on iOS", but getting them onto the phone requires a PC, and many people do not have one. SideInstaller is a free, open source iOS app that performs that setup on the device, covering the pairing, provisioning and installation steps that would otherwise run through desktop tools. The audience is narrow and clearly stated: an iPhone or iPad on iOS 27, Wi-Fi for the first run only, and an Apple account. The README adds that credentials are "not collected". If you already own a Mac and are comfortable with the desktop flow, this app is solving a problem you do not have.

SwiftUI shell, Rust core, and what the two halves do

The repository splits the work in two. `ios-app/` holds the SwiftUI application: the interface, the install engine, certificate handling and translations. `rust-core/` holds a Rust core that is compiled into `SideInstallerFFI.xcframework`, which the Swift side links against. The README does not describe the split further, but the layout implies that the parts which are not UI (the protocol work behind pairing and provisioning) live in Rust and cross the FFI boundary, while the app presents steps and status. Around those two directories sit `scripts/`, described as build, signing and install-page generation scripts, and `.github/`, holding workflows for signing and publishing the install page. That last pair explains how a build reaches the install page at all: the page is generated, not hand-written, and the signing happens in CI. The top-level tree also contains `build-rust.sh`, `project.yml`, a `certs/` directory and `cert-url.txt`, which is consistent with the README's mention that you install the app "using any of the certificates".

How to install SideInstaller and run the first install

There is no package manager step here. The README's instructions begin with a VPN, then the install page, then the app itself. Step one is to connect the device to LocalDevVPN or an alternative. Step two is to open the official install page at `https://frizzlem.github.io/SideInstaller/` and install the app using any of the certificates offered there. The repository also ships `SideInstallerDNS.mobileconfig`, which is the kind of file that configures DNS on the device, so expect a profile install somewhere in that flow; the README does not spell out that step.

# The README's install path is browser-based, not a shell command:
# 1. Connect the device to LocalDevVPN (or any alternative)
# 2. Open https://frizzlem.github.io/SideInstaller/
# 3. Install the app using any of the certificates

Once the app is on the home screen, you open it and log in with your Apple account credentials. The README states these are used locally to sign and install apps and are never transmitted, logged or collected. Then you choose one of two buttons:

Install SideStore
Install SideStore + LiveContainer

The README says to wait while the selection installs, and that this completes the setup: a working SideStore and LiveContainer ready for your own apps. There is no configuration file to edit and no command line, which is the point of the project. If the install fails, the contributing section asks for your iOS version, the app version, and the step where it failed, which tells you what the maintainer needs to debug a report.

The trust model is the real constraint

The README spends more words on distribution than on installation, and that is the honest limitation of this project. Because the app is open source, anyone can fork it, add a credential stealer that uploads the Apple ID and password to their own server, rebuild it, and redistribute it under the same name and icon. The README states plainly that a malicious fork looks identical from the outside. It names exactly two sources it publishes: the website `https://sideinstaller.net/` and the repository `https://github.com/FrizzleM/SideInstaller`. It warns against AltStore sources, Telegram channels, Discord servers, app repos and mirrors, and it calls out `sideinstaller.com` as a fake site that is not official and is likely providing malware. The safety claims in the README (fully local, no server, no analytics, no account) are scoped to this repository and the builds published from it, and the README says so itself. The practical consequence: the source being auditable does not make the IPA you downloaded auditable, and the app asks for the one credential that matters most.

iOS 27 only, and what the release history suggests

The requirements list is short and unforgiving: an iPhone or iPad on iOS 27. Not iOS 26, not an older release. Search interest in this project clusters around earlier versions, and the README does not offer a compatibility path for those devices, so on anything below iOS 27 this is the wrong tool rather than a tool with caveats. The release history is compressed: v0.8.0 and v0.9.0 landed a day apart in early August 2026, and v1.0.0 arrived on 2026-09-14. The last push to the repository was on 2026-09-16, two days after that release. The README badge still reads version 0.9.0, which is a documentation lag rather than a code problem, but it means the badge is not a reliable way to check what you are running. The top-level tree also carries `SideInstaller-v1beta6.ipa`, `v1beta7.ipa` and `v1beta8.ipa` alongside the release tags, so build artifacts and source live in the same repository.

Alternatives and the PC-based route

The obvious alternative is the desktop workflow SideInstaller was written to replace: installing SideStore through a computer, which is what the README describes as the normal path. The difference is where the pairing and provisioning work happens. On the desktop route the phone is a target and the computer drives the process; in SideInstaller the phone drives it, with the Rust core and the SwiftUI engine doing the work locally. That changes the failure surface. A desktop install fails with a cable, a driver or a tool error you can inspect; an on-device install fails inside an app that, per the README, asks only for your iOS version, app version and failing step when you report it. LiveContainer is not an alternative here, it is the second thing SideInstaller installs. If you want to compare sideloading stores generally, that is a different question from whether you need a PC, and the README takes a position on the first (SideStore and LiveContainer) without arguing for it.

Licence, redistribution and the cost of upgrading

The repository reports its licence as NOASSERTION, and the README points to `LICENSE.md`, summarising it as: you may read, modify and share the source, with attribution, for non-commercial purposes. Redistributing the official builds, meaning the IPAs, or monetising the project in any form requires written permission. Read the actual file rather than the summary; the summary is the maintainer's description, not the terms. For an individual installing the app, the licence mostly matters if you plan to hand the IPA to someone else, which the README treats as prohibited without consent. Upgrade cost is low by design: the app is installed from the install page, and the CHANGELOG is the place to check what changed between v0.9.0 and v1.0.0. There is no stated auto-update mechanism in the README, so treat each version as a fresh install decision from the two official sources.

Editorial conclusion

Adopt SideInstaller if you have an iPhone or iPad on iOS 27, no Mac or PC, and you are willing to install only from sideinstaller.net or the FrizzleM/SideInstaller repository, because the README states that a re-signed copy of the same app can capture the Apple ID you type into it. Skip it if your device is on an earlier iOS release, since the stated requirement is iOS 27, and skip it if you want an audited build rather than a build you audit yourself. Verify the licence text in LICENSE.md before you redistribute anything, and check the CHANGELOG entry for v1.0.0 before installing, because the README badge still says 0.9.0.

Frequently asked questions

Official sources

1. FrizzleM/SideInstaller on GitHub
2. Issues
3. Project website
4. README
5. Releases