Tech Desk 
Aug 28, 2025
An undated image of the Apple logo with the background of the EU flag. — Apple/Canva
Apple has pulled iTorrent, a torrenting client for iPhones, from the AltStore PAL, the alternative iOS marketplace in the European Union, showing that Apple can control what apps get distributed to iPhones even when it’s not on the official App Store.
For anyone who might be unfamiliar, iTorrent is a basic mobile tool that allows you to download and manage torrent files right from your iPhone.
Torrenting apps such as these are almost always banned from Apple’s App Store. However, with the Digital Markets Act (DMA) in the EU, there were potential pathways for iPhone users to download apps from third-party platforms, which allowed apps such as iTorrent a rare time where they could be legally distributed to iOS users via AltStore PAL.
Developer Daniil Vinogradov revealed that Apple removed their rights to distribute apps through any alternative iOS store, not just AltStore PAL.
"Apple removed the alternative distribution capability of iTorrent installs from the developer portal without any notice," he said on iTorrent's GitHub. He also confirmed that Apple did not provide a clear reason for the removal.
The timing has raised eyebrows, as iTorrent was added to AltStore PAL in July last year. Many users now question why Apple acted months later, especially when the DMA was meant to stop such restrictions.
