iPhone

Put Rakemori on your iPhone

Rakemori isn't on the App Store yet. Until it is, you have two options: install the app through AltStore, which needs a computer, or add the web app from Safari, which doesn't. Either way you sign in to the same library.

Which one?

  • Needs a computer
    AltStore app
    Yes, for the first install and every refresh
    Safari web app
    No
  • Expires
    AltStore app
    Every seven days on a free Apple ID
    Safari web app
    Never
  • Sign in with Google
    AltStore app
    Yes
    Safari web app
    Yes
  • Barcode scanning
    AltStore app
    Built in, with the phone camera
    Safari web app
    Through the browser camera
  • Works offline
    AltStore app
    Your library, once it has loaded
    Safari web app
    Your library, once it has loaded

If you're not sure, go with the web app. It takes a minute and there's nothing to keep up with. You can come back for AltStore later if you want the built-in scanner.

Option 1: the app, through AltStore

AltStore installs apps that aren't on the App Store by signing them with your own Apple ID. The signing happens on a Mac or Windows PC running AltServer, so you need one nearby for the first install. Have a cable and your Apple ID password ready. Allow about ten minutes.

  1. 1
    Install AltServer on your computer

    Get it from altstore.io. On a Mac, drag AltServer into Applications and open it. It sits in the menu bar rather than the Dock. On Windows, run the installer, and make sure iTunes and iCloud came from Apple's own website rather than the Microsoft Store, or AltServer won't see your phone.

  2. 2
    Plug in your iPhone and install AltStore

    Connect the phone with a cable and tap Trust if it asks. Click the AltServer icon in the menu bar (Mac) or system tray (Windows), choose Install AltStore, and pick your iPhone. Sign in with your Apple ID when asked. AltServer only uses it to sign apps. It never reaches Rakemori.

  3. 3
    Trust it on your iPhone

    AltStore is now on your Home Screen, but iOS won't open it until you say so. Go to Settings → General → VPN & Device Management, tap the entry with your Apple ID, and tap Trust.

    If the phone asks you to turn on Developer Mode, go ahead: Settings → Privacy & Security → Developer Mode, then restart when prompted. Every sideloaded app needs this.

  4. 4
    Add the Rakemori source

    Open AltStore, go to the Sources tab, tap + and paste this address exactly as it is:

    https://rakemori.com/altstore.json

    Tap Add Source and Rakemori appears in the list.

  5. 5
    Install Rakemori

    Go to Browse, find Rakemori and tap Free. AltStore signs the app with your Apple ID and installs it. Keep the phone on the same Wi-Fi as the computer while it works. Once the icon shows up on your Home Screen, you're done.

    Sign in the way you always do, with Google or with your username and password.

Keeping it alive

A free Apple ID signs the app for seven days. After that it won't open until it's refreshed. AltStore does this on its own in the background whenever the phone is on the same Wi-Fi as a computer running AltServer, so leaving AltServer running is usually enough. You can also open AltStore and tap Refresh All. A paid Apple Developer account stretches the seven days to a year.

Worth knowing

A free Apple ID holds three sideloaded apps at a time, counting every source you've added. Rakemori uses one of those slots.

Links to rakemori.com open in Safari rather than in the app, so a shared library link will not jump straight into it. Signing in with Google is unaffected and works here.

Signing in with Apple is not offered yet, on the app or on the web.

If you later install the App Store version, delete the AltStore one first. iOS won't keep both.

Needs iOS 15.5 or later.

Option 2: the web app, from Safari

Rakemori was built to run as a web app. Added from Safari it gets its own icon, opens full screen without the address bar, and stays signed in. Nothing expires and there's nothing to refresh.

  1. 1
    Open the sign-in page in Safari

    It has to be Safari. Chrome and other browsers can't add a web app to the Home Screen. Go to:

    https://rakemori.com/login

    Sign in however you normally do, Google and Apple included.

  2. 2
    Tap Share

    It's the square with the arrow pointing up, in Safari's toolbar.

  3. 3
    Choose Add to Home Screen

    Scroll down the share sheet until you find Add to Home Screen. If it isn't there, tap Edit Actions at the bottom and switch it on.

  4. 4
    Turn on Open as Web App

    On the next screen, check that Open as Web App is on. Off, you get a bookmark that opens in Safari. On, Rakemori opens as its own app. Older versions of iOS don't show the toggle and do this by default.

  5. 5
    Tap Add

    Rakemori is now on your Home Screen. Open it from there rather than from Safari and it runs full screen with your session already in place.

If it opens in Safari anyway

The toggle was off. Hold the icon, choose Delete Bookmark, and repeat from step 1 with Open as Web App switched on.

Still stuck?

Email hello@rakemori.com with your iPhone model, iOS version and which option you were on.