Strata 4.0

Strata is a controller-friendly launcher built on LiveContainer, bundled with SideStore. This release includes the six interfaces and library features from Strata 3.0, with runtime, switching and performance updates.

Install or update

Open Strata-4.0+SideStore.ipa in your bundled SideStore and install as an update, choosing Keep All Extensions. Keep the existing Strata installation to preserve its identity and data. The IPA needs signing; it is not an App Store installation.

Free-account users still need the separate LocalDevVPN app for refresh and JIT. Personal, device-bound VPN shortcuts are intentionally excluded from the public package; configure the shortcut on your own device.

New in 4.0

• Updated LiveContainer runtime: integrated nightly revision 9d6ea09, including the per-app Helper processes support option and background-processing infrastructure. RAM-donor behavior with particular emulators is not yet verified.
• Settings app: searchable settings with quick tiles, available as a built-in launcher entry across interfaces.
• App switcher: an iOS-style deck with recent apps and snapshots, swipe-up to close, and an experimental live preview of the foreground app in seamless mode. Closing the current app keeps the deck open on the tested separate-process path.
• Seamless switching: eligible apps open in full-screen hosted windows. Switching and dismissal use transitions and snapshots. Built-in SideStore, HostJIT and other incompatible launch paths retain their own handling.
• Memory overlay: optional per-process usage, reported limit and peak readings in Settings → Performance.
• iPhone app entries: App Store search can help add entries. Actual opening still depends on iOS permissions or a supported app link; apps without a usable link may need a manual URL or Shortcut.
• Frame generation: experimental 2×, 3× and 4× modes for compatible Metal games, with phase-aware interpolation, status/skip diagnostics and direct-presentation hooks. Presentation stays constrained by display refresh and available GPU time.
• Defaults: reopening a game after iOS closes Strata defaults off. Optional background keep-alive remains available.

Experimental features and known limits

• Latest development baseline is r57. It passed package checks; selected earlier switcher flows were tested on-device, including the r53 swipe-up close behavior. This public package has not undergone a complete device regression test.
• Latest live previews, memory overlay, helper/RAM-donor behavior and full-display SDK stamping have not been validated on all target devices. Background app cards may show snapshots rather than live content.
• Frame generation is opt-in and is not guaranteed to work in every Metal game. Simulator tests exercised 4× command-buffer and 2× direct-present generation. The 4× direct-present test has a known native/generated counter discrepancy; do not treat that counter as proof of performance. The r57 direct-present changes are not yet device-tested. Artifacts, extra GPU load and latency are possible. Native rendering remains the fallback.
• RAM permissions do not guarantee a particular memory allowance or bypass. Increased Debugging Memory Limit needs an eligible paid developer account and debugger attachment. Free accounts may be refused; no universal allowance above 6 GiB is claimed.
• No embedded VPN for free accounts and no arbitrary guest app-extension registration. iOS controls Game Mode and native-app confirmation prompts.
• Poppy Playtime Chapters 3 and 4 remain unresolved; no crash fix is claimed.

Credits and source

Built on LiveContainer, bundled with SideStore. The switcher incorporates work from ryC0; frame generation incorporates MetalFG. StosSign is included with the maintainer's permission. See THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.md and included licences.

Source, locked submodule revisions, verification metadata and SHA-256 checksums are attached to this release. Preserve the existing app when updating.