# Getting Started

## News

The "News" tab is where you can view all news updates from us, including major app updates, upcoming features, and more!

                                                 ![](/files/RInkU0PcQcXoe5zPi4dE)                     

## Browse

The "Browse" tab is where you can find apps available for you to sideload.

Tap an app to view its AltStore page, including the app description and any screenshots, then tap `FREE` to install it.

                                                 ![](/files/UdGOImWrua8stAH0V5I5)

## My Apps

The "My Apps" tab is where you can see all the apps you have sideloaded with AltStore.

                                                ![](/files/WmrAaK6NLaoyGDmidy5r) 

Apps installed with AltStore expire after 7 days, at which point they can no longer be opened. AltStore will attempt to "refresh" your sideloaded apps in the background to prevent this from happening, but you can also manually refresh your apps at any point by pressing the "Refresh All" button.

Due to restrictions by Apple, you can only have 3 sideloaded apps installed on a device at a time. To work around this, AltStore allows you to "deactivate" sideloaded apps, which backs up their data and removes them from your device to free up a slot for another app. You can then "activate" the app again later to re-install it and restore its data. For more information about activating and deactivating apps, please read the [Activating Apps](/altstore-classic/activating-apps.md) page.

## Settings

The "Settings" tab is where you can view and adjust your AltStore settings.

                                          ![](/files/eis0YUSdTOkW4IMmwzLS)

**Account**\
View Apple ID information such as your name and email address, and whether your account is a paid developer account or a regular Apple ID (a.k.a. "Free Developer Account").

**Patreon**\
Tapping "Join the beta" will take you to a screen where you can link your Patreon account. If you have joined [our Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/rileyshane), linking your account will allow you to sideload the beta versions of AltStore, Delta, and Clip from the My Apps tab.

**Refreshing Apps**\
If "Background Refresh" is enabled, AltStore will periodically wake up in the background and attempt to refresh your apps with AltServer. You can also tap "Add to Siri..." to make a Siri Shortcut that can be run directly by Siri or the Shortcuts app, including via Personal Automations.                     

                                               


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