Apple has revoked the European Union distribution rights of the torrent client iTorrent from the AltStore PAL store, TorrentFreak reports. The move raises new questions around how Apple will approach alternative app stores introduced under the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA).
Torrent apps including iTorrent and qBitControl appeared on AltStore PAL in mid-2024, using a provision in the EU that requires Apple to allow third-party app marketplaces. This allowed iPhone and iPad users to download software outside the official App Store — where torrent apps have always been forbidden.
Some users started reporting in July 2025 that they can no longer download iTorrent. The app has since been removed and the developer, Daniil Vinogradov, confirmed that Apple had revoked the apps distribution rights without explanation. Although Apple places much fewer restrictions on non-App Store software, all apps still must go through Apple’s Notarization process — which is a security review to prevent malware, confirm basic functionality and protect against fraud.
Apple initially responded with a stock answer and then followed that up by claiming its escalation team was investigating the matter, Vinogradov said. “I still have no clue it was my mistake or Apple’s fault, and their answers don’t apply,” he tells TorrentFreak.
Apple for now hasn’t explained as to what the ban was on, whether it was over security risk, any violation of policy or something else. Although, AltStore PAL has also reached out for more information and they were told, Apple is “looking into it.” The platform has not received a broader caution about torrenting apps, so it appears this isn’t part of a wider clampdown.