Unofficial app store Cydia appeals after lawsuit against Apple is dismissed

According to a court document, Cydia's parent company SaurikIT, LLC has filed a complaint with the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals after U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers dismissed the company’s antitrust lawsuit against Apple last month.

SaurikIT sued Apple in late 2020, arguing that the company has an illegal monopoly over the distribution of iOS apps, given that the App Store is the only authorized marketplace where users can download apps on iPhones and iPads. The complaint also alleges that Apple "has been trying to kill other app stores," including Cydia.

Cydia launched in early 2008, a few months before Apple's own app store, the App Store. The application allows "jailbroken" iPhone or iPad users to install applications outside the App Store, as well as customize the appearance and functionality of the iOS system. For example, there was an app on Cydia called SBSettings that offered similar functionality long before Apple introduced Control Center on the iPhone.

The lawsuit claims that Cydia is the "App Store that predates the App Store" and the "first comprehensive solution" to extending the capabilities of the iPhone, but it's worth noting that there's also an unofficial app store called Installer that runs on Cydia. It has been launched before.

Apple has repeatedly denied that the App Store is a monopoly, given that the App Store faces competition from the Google Play Store on Android devices. Apple has also repeatedly cited the privacy and security advantages of the App Store, arguing that third-party app stores on the iPhone could expose users to fraud, malware, and other risks.