Installing
On a Mac? It installs differently (a
.dmg, with no re-signing or expiry). See Install on Mac.
The IPAs are attached to the latest release. They are unsigned because VortX is open-source and distributed outside the App Store with no Apple Developer ID yet, so you re-sign them yourself with one of the methods below. None require a jailbreak. Any warning you see while sideloading means Apple does not recognize the signature, not that something is wrong: the code is all in the repo and built by a public GitHub Actions workflow.
Grab the IPA you need:
-
Apple TV: choose the Full build (
VortX-tvOS-x.y.z.ipa, torrents included) or the smaller Lite build (VortX-tvOS-lite-x.y.z.ipa, debrid and direct links only). See Full vs Lite. - iPhone and iPad: the single iOS IPA covers both.
Apple only runs apps signed by a valid identity, and what you sign with decides how long the install lasts:
| You sign with | Install lasts | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| A free Apple ID | 7 days, then re-sign | Free |
| A paid Apple Developer account | 1 year | $99 / year |
| A signing service (Signulous and similar) | 1 year | ~$20 / year per device |
Re-signing never loses your settings or sign-in; only the signature expires.
- Go to signulous.com, buy a device registration, and follow their steps to register your iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV (for Apple TV they walk you through finding its UDID).
- Wait for the registration to process (usually under an hour).
- Open their upload page, upload the VortX IPA, and it appears in your library.
- On the device, open the install link they give you and install. On Apple TV this happens over the browser flow they provide.
- Signed for a year. When a new version ships, upload the new IPA and install over the top.
- Download Sideloadly on a Mac or Windows PC.
- iPhone or iPad: connect over USB (or enable Wi-Fi sync in Finder/iTunes first and do it wirelessly).
- Apple TV: keep it on the same network. It appears as a network device. On newer tvOS you may need to pair first: on the Apple TV open Settings, Remotes and Devices, Remote App and Devices, and keep that screen open while Sideloadly connects.
- Drag the IPA into Sideloadly, enter your Apple ID (a throwaway is fine and keeps your main account clean), and press Start.
- iPhone and iPad, first time only: Settings, General, VPN and Device Management, tap your Apple ID, Trust.
- A free Apple ID runs 7 days; re-run Sideloadly to re-sign. A paid developer account runs a year.
- Install AltStore (needs AltServer on a computer on your network) or SideStore (no computer needed after setup).
- Add the IPA through the app.
- These re-sign automatically in the background, so the 7-day limit takes care of itself as long as the device sees the server periodically.
- Neither supports Apple TV.
- On a Mac with Xcode, open Window, Devices and Simulators. Connect iPhone or iPad over USB; pair the Apple TV over the network (it shows under Discovered with a pairing code).
- Drag the IPA onto the device, or re-sign with your personal team first using ios-app-signer if Xcode refuses the unsigned IPA.
- Free Apple ID signs 7 days, paid developer account a year.
Sign in with your own account and add your own add-ons. Nothing is bundled. Each release also lists SHA-256 checksums next to the assets, so you can confirm the file you downloaded matches what was published.
Install the new version's IPA over the old one with the same method and the same Apple ID; your sign-in, profiles, and settings carry over.
Heads up: some signing services and sideload flows cache by version. If a new build does not seem to take, delete the app first and reinstall, then confirm the version shown in Settings.
If you switch signing identities, iOS treats it as a different app and you start fresh. You can move between the Full and Lite builds the same way.
Something not working? See Troubleshooting.
