Install Webink

iPhone & iPad · Mac

Webink is no longer on the App Store. On iPhone and iPad it installs through SideStore; on Mac it is a direct download. Pick your device.

Instructions

How this works

SideStore is free and lets you install Webink on your iPhone or iPad with your own Apple Account. A computer is needed for the first setup. After that, SideStore can refresh the app from the device.

With a free Apple Account, the signing period is normally 7 days. SideStore refreshes the app before it expires, but a computer may occasionally be needed again if the device pairing needs to be repaired.

If you already have SideStore installed and configured, skip ahead to Phase 3.

Phase 1 · Before you start

What you need

iPhone or iPadiOS or iPadOS 15.0 or later, with a passcode enabled.
A computer and cableWindows 8+, macOS High Sierra+, or current Linux. Setup only.
An Apple AccountYour normal Apple ID. A free account is enough.
Wi-Fi and timeWi-Fi is needed for setup and for refreshing apps later.

SideStore can install up to three apps at once with a free Apple Account, including SideStore itself.

Phase 2 · Install SideStore

Set up SideStore

Choose the computer you’ll use for the one-time setup. The final steps happen on your iPhone or iPad.

On your iPhone or iPad

Install LocalDevVPN

Install LocalDevVPN, open it, and tap Connect. This is a small local VPN that lets SideStore talk to your device. Keep it connected whenever you install, update, or refresh an app.

Get LocalDevVPN from the App Store
On your computer

Install iloader

Download iloader for macOS, open the .dmg, and drag it to Applications.

Windows must be 64-bit. Install iTunes first, then run the iloader .msi installer. The .msi is recommended over the .exe.

Install usbmuxd first, then install the iloader package for your distribution.

Run in Terminal on your computer
sudo apt install usbmuxd
For another distribution, use its package manager as described in the official guide.
Download iloader for macOS
Download iloader .msi Download iloader .exe Get iTunes
Download iloader .deb Download iloader .rpm Download iloader AppImage ARM builds
On your computer

Install SideStore

Connect your iPhone or iPad to the computer with a USB cable. If asked, trust the computer on the device and enter your passcode. Open iloader, sign in with the Apple Account you want to use, select your device, and choose Install SideStore (Stable).

On your iPhone or iPad

Trust SideStore and enable Developer Mode

Open Settings, go to VPN & Device Management, and under Developer App tap the entry named after your Apple Account. Tap Trust, then confirm with your passcode.

Settings › General › VPN & Device Management › Developer App › Trust

Next go to Settings › Privacy & Security, scroll to the bottom, and turn on Developer Mode. Your device will restart.

Checkpoint: after the restart, SideStore should open without an “untrusted developer” warning.

On your iPhone or iPad

Finish SideStore setup

Open LocalDevVPN and tap Connect. Then open SideStore, sign in with the same Apple Account you used in iloader, and open My Apps.

Tap the 7 DAYS counter next to SideStore to refresh it once. If SideStore asks to create or revoke a signing certificate, choose Yes or Refresh Now.

Phase 3 · Install Webink

SideStore is ready. Now add Webink.

You do not need to download an IPA file. SideStore reads the official Webink source and downloads the right version for you.

Recommended

Add Webink to SideStore

Tap this button on your iPhone or iPad. It opens SideStore and adds the official Webink source automatically.

Add Webink to SideStore

Didn’t open automatically?

  1. Open SideStore.
  2. Open Sources, then tap + or Add Source.
  3. Paste the URL below and confirm.
Webink Source URL
https://buburo.com/webink/source.json

Install Webink from SideStore

  1. You should now see Webink in SideStore.
  2. Tap Webink, then tap Install.
  3. Wait for SideStore to finish. Webink will appear on your Home Screen.
What SideStore is doing:
it reads Webink’s metadata from the source URL, finds the IPA listed there, and downloads it for you. You never need to find or type a GitHub download link.
Phase 4 · Keep it working

Refresh before the counter reaches zero

With a free Apple Account, Webink is normally signed for seven days at a time.

You do not need your computer to renew it. After the initial SideStore setup, Webink can be refreshed directly from your iPhone or iPad.

Before the counter reaches zero:

  1. Open LocalDevVPN and tap Connect.
  2. Open SideStore.
  3. Go to My Apps.
  4. Tap the day counter next to Webink to refresh it.

SideStore may also refresh apps automatically in the background when the required conditions are available.

If the counter reaches zero, Webink will stop opening until it is signed again. This does not automatically delete Webink or your local data. Open SideStore and refresh Webink.

You only need your computer again if SideStore itself needs to be repaired or the device pairing needs to be recreated.

A paid Apple Developer Account can change Apple’s signing limits, but this guide assumes a free Apple Account.

Phase 5 · Updates

Updates appear in SideStore

When a new Webink version is released, SideStore shows it as an update. Tap Update in SideStore and let it install the new version.

You do not need to download an IPA manually, and you do not need to add the source again. This URL stays the same: Webink Source URL.

Phase 6 · Troubleshooting

When something gets stuck

Try the short fix first. Open the official SideStore guide for anything more advanced.

SideStore will not open

Make sure SideStore was installed through iloader. If it still will not open, reinstall SideStore with iloader. The official troubleshooting guide has the clean reinstall steps.

“Unable to verify app” or an untrusted developer warning

On your iPhone or iPad, open Settings › General › VPN & Device Management, select the Developer App entry named after your Apple Account, and tap Trust. If the warning continues, check that Developer Mode is enabled under Settings › Privacy & Security.

SideStore or Webink has expired

Connect LocalDevVPN, make sure Wi-Fi is on, open SideStore, go to My Apps, and tap the day counter next to the app. If SideStore itself will not refresh, restart the device and try again.

Pairing file invalid, especially after an iOS or iPadOS update

A pairing file is the small file that lets iloader and SideStore recognise your device. It can expire after an update or reset. On your computer, open iloader, delete the stored pairing, trust the device again, then use Manage Pairing File › Place for SideStore. Follow the official pairing-file guide.

LocalDevVPN will not connect

Open LocalDevVPN and tap Connect. Allow the VPN configuration if iOS asks, and keep Wi-Fi enabled. If it still fails, restart LocalDevVPN and SideStore. The official guide also recommends checking DNS blockers and replacing the pairing file.

Webink does not appear after adding the source

Confirm that the source is exactly https://buburo.com/webink/source.json, then close and reopen SideStore. If you used the button and nothing happened, use the manual source steps above.

Sign-in or Apple Account errors

Use the same Apple Account in iloader and SideStore. If SideStore freezes during sign-in, its official troubleshooting guide recommends trying another Anisette server in SideStore settings.

These steps follow the official SideStore prerequisites, installation guide, and troubleshooting guide. SideStore can change over time, so use those pages if a button name has changed.

Instructions

How this works

The Mac version is a normal .dmg download. Drag it to Applications and it is installed. No account, no VPN, and nothing that expires. Install it once and it keeps working.

The one hurdle is the first launch. Webink is not signed with an Apple Developer certificate, so macOS blocks it once and says the app is “damaged”. It is not damaged. That is the wording macOS uses for any app it cannot verify. Step 3 clears it, once, permanently.

Before you start

What you need

A MacmacOS 10.15 Catalina or later. Apple Silicon and Intel.
Admin accessNeeded once, to allow the app on first launch.
Nothing elseNo Apple ID, no VPN, no refreshing.
Setup

Three steps

Download the .dmg

Open it and drag Webink into the Applications folder, then eject the disk image.

Download Webink for Mac

Open it once. macOS will block it.

Double-click Webink in Applications. macOS shows “Webink is damaged and can’t be opened” and offers only to move it to the Bin. Click Cancel. Nothing is wrong with the download; this happens to every app not signed with a paid Apple certificate.

Allow it, once

Open System Settings › Privacy & Security and scroll down. There is a line saying Webink was blocked, with an Open Anyway button. Click it and confirm with your password or Touch ID.

System Settings › Privacy & Security › Open Anyway

If that line is not there, run this in Terminal instead and then open the app normally:

Run in Terminal on your Mac
xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/Webink.app

Either way you only do this once. After that Webink opens with a normal double-click, like any other app.

Afterwards

Updating

Nothing expires and there is nothing to refresh. When a new version is out, the app tells you: download the new .dmg and replace the one in Applications.

You only have to allow it again if macOS asks, which it usually does not for a version you have already approved.

Why the warning exists

Apple charges an annual fee for the certificate that removes it. Webink is free and not on the App Store, so it ships unsigned rather than passing that cost on. The download comes straight from the project’s own releases page. You can check the source it was built from at any time.