Install Empo

How to install Empo on an iPhone, an iPad, or a Mac, and how to update it.

Empo is pre-release, so it is not on the App Store. Each release has an .ipa file for iPhone and iPad, and a disk image for Mac. You install them yourself.

Requirements

An iPhone or an iPad with iOS 26 or newer and a sideloading tool, or a Mac with Apple silicon and macOS 26 or newer. You also need a game to play, because Empo ships no games. Requirements has the full list.

iPhone and iPad

Empo is not on the App Store yet. So you install it with a sideloading tool: AltStore, SideStore, or Sideloadly.

Download the app file

Download Empo-ios.ipa.

Install it

Open the file in AltStore, SideStore, or Sideloadly. Each tool documents its own steps.

Trust the developer

If iOS refuses to open the app, go to Settings → General → VPN & Device Management. Trust the profile that signed the app. This step applies to Sideloadly installs.

Import a game

Open Empo. The library is empty at first. Tap Import game, and pick a game folder or archive.

Get update notifications

AltStore and SideStore can watch Empo for new releases. Add this source:

https://raw.githubusercontent.com/mateo-m/empo-app/main/altstore-source.json

After you add the source, the store shows Empo updates with the rest of your apps.

Update the app

Install the new .ipa file over the old one. Your games, your saves, and your settings stay in place, because Empo keeps them in its own sandbox and not in the app binary.

Mac

Apple has not checked Empo for Mac yet. So the first time you open it, macOS blocks it, and you must allow it once in System Settings.

Download the disk image

Download Empo-mac.dmg, then open it.

Copy Empo to Applications

In the window that opens, drag Empo onto Applications.

Open Empo

Open the Applications folder, and double-click Empo. macOS shows “Empo.app” Not Opened. Click Done.

Allow Empo

Open System Settings → Privacy & Security, and scroll down to Security. Next to “Empo.app” was blocked to protect your Mac, click Open Anyway.

The Security section of Privacy & Security, with the Open Anyway button next to Empo

The button stays for about an hour after you try to open Empo. If it is gone, open Empo again, then come back.

Confirm

macOS asks Open “Empo.app”?. Click Open Anyway, not the blue button. Enter your Mac password, then click OK.

Import a game

The library is empty at first. Click Import Games…, or drag a game folder or archive into the window.

If you prefer Terminal, this command does the same as Open Anyway:

xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/Empo.app

Update the app

From version 0.10.2, Empo looks for a new version when it opens. When there is one, Update available shows at the top of the library window. To look yourself, choose Empo › Check for Updates….

Download the new disk image, and drag Empo onto Applications again. Click Replace when macOS asks. If macOS blocks the new version, allow it again as in the steps above. Your games, your saves, and your settings stay in place.