Most ways of sideloading come with a catch: apps expire after a week, or they die the moment Apple revokes a certificate. TrollStore doesn’t have either problem. Install an app once and it stays, like anything from the App Store.
The catch with TrollStore is a different one, and it’s a big one. It only works on a handful of older iOS versions. So before anything else, this guide helps you check whether your iPhone qualifies. If it does, we’ll go through the right installer for your version, the setup step most people skip, and the errors you’re likely to hit.
Phone doesn’t qualify? Skip to the comparison of no-jailbreak methods instead. Everything there works on current iOS.
What TrollStore actually does
TrollStore is a free tool by the developer opa334. It isn’t a jailbreak, and it doesn’t switch off iOS security in general. It takes advantage of one bug in CoreTrust, the part of iOS that checks app signatures, so that iOS treats your app as if Apple had signed it.
That one trick removes both big headaches of normal sideloading. There’s no developer certificate counting down seven days, and there’s no shared certificate for Apple to cancel. Once you’ve set up the persistence helper (covered below), apps survive reboots too.
Does your iPhone qualify?
Apple fixed the CoreTrust bug in iOS 17.0.1, so TrollStore support is frozen at these versions:
- iOS 14.0 beta 2 through 16.6.1
- iOS 16.7 RC (build 20H18) only. Regular 16.7.x releases don’t count.
- iOS 17.0, on iPhones with an A12 chip or newer (iPhone XS and XR onward)
Anything from iOS 17.0.1 onward is out, and that includes iOS 18, iOS 26 and iOS 27. The developer has said there won’t be new support unless another bug of the same kind is found, and as of October 2026 none has been.
Check under Settings > General > About > iOS Version. If you’re inside the window, don’t update until you’re done, and ideally not at all if you want to keep TrollStore.
You’ll occasionally see sites promising “TrollStore for iOS 26” or “TrollStore for iOS 27”. They’re fake. At best they’re ad farms, and at worst they want you to install a profile or app you really shouldn’t.
Picking the right installer
There isn’t one installer for everyone. Which one you need depends on your exact iOS build and chip, so look up your combination in the compatibility table at ios.cfw.guide before you begin.
- iOS 14.0 to 16.6.1: TrollInstallerX runs entirely on the iPhone. No computer.
- iOS 17.0 on A12 or newer: TrollInstallerX doesn’t cover it. You need TrollRestore, which runs on a Windows PC or Mac and installs TrollStore by restoring a modified backup. Funny enough, the newest supported version is the one that needs a computer.
- iOS 16.7 RC: check the table, as the right method depends on your device.
The steps below follow the TrollInstallerX route. On iOS 17.0, follow TrollRestore’s own instructions instead.
Installing TrollStore with TrollInstallerX
- Open Safari and go to the official TrollInstallerX page, linked from opa334’s GitHub and from cfw.guide. Skip mirror sites.
- Download the installer for your device.
- Trust it if iOS asks. Settings > General > VPN & Device Management, tap the profile, choose Trust.
- Open the installer and tap Install TrollStore. The screen may flicker or respring while it works.
- Look for TrollStore on the Home Screen. If it’s not there, lock and unlock the phone or restart it.
Don’t skip the persistence helper
This is the step that separates “it worked for a day” from “it works for good”. When iOS rebuilds its icon cache, TrollStore apps can drop back to a normal state and refuse to open with an “app is unavailable” message. The persistence helper stops that from happening.
- Open TrollStore and tap Settings.
- Tap Install Persistence Helper.
- Pick a built-in app you never use, such as Tips.
From then on, that app quietly re-registers your TrollStore apps after every restart.
The persistence helper lives in TrollStore’s Settings tab. Set it up straight away.
Installing an IPA
- Download or AirDrop the IPA to your iPhone.
- Open it and choose TrollStore, or open TrollStore and tap +.
- Confirm. The app appears on your Home Screen, and that’s it. No timer, no re-signing.
Apps installed through TrollStore stay on the Home Screen like any other app.
When things go wrong
“Untrusted Developer” on the installer. Go back to step 3. It’s a one-off for the installer; apps installed through TrollStore never need trusting.
An app stopped opening after a restart. The persistence helper is missing or broken. Reinstall it from TrollStore > Settings. If that fails, power the phone off completely, turn it back on, open the helper app once, close it, and try again.
The installer fails, or TrollStore never appears. Free up some storage, restart and try again. A download meant for a different iOS build is the usual cause, so double-check you grabbed the right one.
An app crashes as soon as it opens. The IPA itself is probably broken or incompatible. Try a clean copy from the original source.
Removing apps, or TrollStore itself
Remove TrollStore apps like any other app, by long-pressing the icon, or from inside TrollStore. There’s no profile to clean up afterwards.
To remove TrollStore entirely, open its Settings and choose the uninstall option. It also removes the persistence helper from the app you picked.
FAQ
Can I get TrollStore on iOS 26 or iOS 27?
Not unless Apple ships another CoreTrust bug, and none has turned up since 17.0. On those versions, Sideloadly or SideStore is the realistic substitute.
Why don’t TrollStore apps expire after seven days?
Because there’s no developer certificate involved. The seven-day limit only applies when apps are signed with an Apple ID, and TrollStore skips signature checks altogether.
Will updating iOS remove TrollStore?
A major update will usually wipe TrollStore and its apps, and land you on a version it can’t support. If you want to keep it, stay where you are.
Inside the supported window, TrollStore is the most hassle-free way to keep sideloaded apps around. Check your version, use the matching installer, set up the persistence helper on day one, and you can mostly forget it’s there.
