Apple has blocked the distribution of iTorrent through AltStore PAL, one of the leading alternative app marketplaces available to iPhone and iPad users in the European Union. TorrentFreak reported that the company revoked the developer’s rights to publish on the platform, effectively cutting off access to the BitTorrent client.
AltStore PAL has hosted torrenting apps such as iTorrent and qBitControl since July 2024. These apps cannot appear in Apple’s official App Store but gained entry into the EU through the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which forces Apple to allow third-party marketplaces. With this change, users in eligible countries were able to download software that Apple traditionally blocks, including torrent clients.
Developer and AltStore Respond
In July 2025, users began reporting that they could no longer download iTorrent from AltStore PAL. Daniil Vinogradov, the app’s developer also known as XITRIX, confirmed that Apple revoked his alternative distribution rights. These rights allow developers to publish apps through EU altstores.
Speaking to TorrentFreak, Vinogradov said Apple provided no clear reason for the revocation. He contacted the company multiple times but received only generic replies. Eventually, Apple informed him that the escalation team was reviewing the matter, though no details were shared. “I still have no idea if it was my fault or Apple’s, and their responses make no sense,” Vinogradov told TorrentFreak.
AltStore PAL also confirmed the situation to TorrentFreak. Co-founder Shane Gill said the marketplace asked Apple for clarification but received the same vague response: that the issue was under review. Gill noted that Apple has never issued guidance on torrenting apps in the EU and that no warnings had been given before iTorrent was removed.
Apple requires all third-party apps in the EU to undergo a Notarization process, which checks for malware, fraud, and basic functionality. TorrentFreak notes that the company has not accused iTorrent of violating these requirements, leaving the cause of the revocation uncertain.
The move highlights the tension between Apple’s long-standing refusal to host torrent apps and the EU’s efforts to open its mobile ecosystem. While torrent clients like iTorrent briefly found a foothold through AltStore PAL, Apple’s intervention raises questions about how much control it still retains under the DMA.
