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Apple Blocks iTorrent App From EU Alternative App Marketplace

MacRumors said:


Apple is no longer allowing torrenting app iTorrent to be distributed via the AltStore Pal alternative app marketplace in the European Union, according to TorrentFreak.

altstore-pal-eu.jpg

Torrent apps like iTorrent and qBitControl have been available for download from AltStore PAL since July of last year. Torrent apps are not allowed in the official App Store, but Apple has fewer controls over the alternative app marketplaces in the European Union due to the Digital Markets Act. In countries where alternative app marketplaces are available, iPhone and iPad users are able to download apps outside of the App Store.

Starting in July 2025, some iTorrent users became unable to download the app, and the app's developer said that Apple had revoked its alternative distribution rights. While there are far fewer restrictions on apps distributed outside of the App Store, Apple has implemented a Notarization process that gives it some control over non-App Store apps.

Notarization includes a baseline review that ensures apps are free from known malware, viruses, or other security threats. Apple says that it also makes sure that apps function as promised and do not expose users to egregious fraud.

Daniil Vinogradov, the developer behind iTorrent, claims that Apple did not provide a reason when iTorrent's distribution rights were revoked. After asking for more information, Apple provided a generic response and later said that the escalation team is investigating the issue. "I still have no idea if it was my fault or Apple's, and their responses make no sense," Vinogradov told TorrentFreak.

Because Apple has provided no details on the iTorrent app situation, it is not clear if there was some known security threat or fraud issue that caused the app's distribution rights to be revoked.

AltStore PAL has also requested more information from Apple, and was told that Apple is "looking into it." AltStore PAL has not received any warnings about torrent apps or other app categories, so there doesn't seem to be a blanket ban on torrenting apps.

Article Link: Apple Blocks iTorrent App From EU Alternative App Marketplace
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Booooo!
 
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WarmWinterHat said:
Funny how the Transmission app is signed by Apple and has been for years, without an issue, as another poster pointed out. I just checked, and it is, and always has been.
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proving that apple doesn't have a problem with torrenting and it's just a problem with the developer doing nefarious things.

and?
 
The EU is clueless. And it has nothing to do the consumer or with anything else but incompetence by the European government.Yeah, they want a place for people to download malware for iPhones.
 
ForkHandles said:
Torrent helps people to steal things.

Screw them.
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Masks help conceal identities when people steal things, cars help people get away from crime scenes, plastic baggies help people package drugs, houses help people conduct illegal activity, the internet facilitates criminal activities, bleach helps clean up evidence. Anything can be used for crimes, just because you CAN use something for a criminal purpose, doesn’t mean it should have a blanket ban.
 
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Jumpthesnark said:
Copyright theft is theft.

Legally, "theft" can apply to intellectual property and creative works as well as physical items.
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There's no law punishing Sony when they take away movies or tv shows that you paid for under the excuse of licensing agreements. That's theft but legal theft. It's not about ethics it's just about laws.
 
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AppliedMicro said:
I can go on the street and put up signs saying "don't buy from iamgalt".
I can do the same online.

It may be reducing or preventing sales for you - but it's certainly not stealing.
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This, among other arguments you're making, is completely disingenuous.

Telling people to not buy from someone is completely different from taking a copy of their creative work without their consent.
 
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This is the base argument for third party app stores. In the end either you own the device or you do not.

The moment Apple decided to put themselves in charge of what you can do — say, see, and think — with an iPhone they lost ALL moral standing.

I don’t begrudge them their 30% take, although it is usurious. But I do not forgive them for appointing themselves judge, jury, and executioner over the boundaries of their customers’ human rights.
 
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canadianreader said:
There's no law punishing Sony when they take away movies or tv shows that you paid for under the excuse of licensing agreements. That's theft but legal theft. It's not about ethics it's just about laws.
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That's because when you buy a license from Sony or others, it comes with limitations. It's one of the issues with the increased reliance on streaming music, movies and other entertainment. All those corporations (like Sony, as you mentioned) spell out their rights to the license for that work, and it includes durations, locations, and the fact that they (the licensors) can change them.

As consumers, we don't have the same rights as consumers of creative works that the producers of those works do. And I agree with that. I produce creative works, and I determine how that work is to be used, and it includes time limits on the license and how it can be used.

When I place limits on how my work can be used, is it also "legal theft?"
 
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Jumpthesnark said:
As consumers, we don't have the same rights as consumers of creative works that the producers of those works do. And I agree with that. I produce creative works, and I determine how that work is to be used, and it includes time limits on the license and how it can be used.
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You see why people are fed up of this complicated stuff. If I buy a movie I don't have to worry or think about "creative works". I don't really care, I just wanna enjoy my time and maybe rewatch it a year from now since I own it. But I can't because of licensing issue the movie is no longer available in my library it's unethical to take away (steal) something I paid for but it is legal.
Consumers have little rights compared to big corpos that's why people are pushing back.
 
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Terry2023 said:
This is the base argument for third party app stores. In the end either you own the device or you do not.

The moment Apple decided to put themselves in charge of what you can do — say, see, and think — with an iPhone they lost ALL moral standing.

I don’t begrudge them their 30% take, although it is usurious. But I do not forgive them for appointing themselves judge, jury, and executioner over the boundaries of their customers’ human rights.
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And the European Union won't do anything about it because they'll use Apple to shut down/ban any app they deem dangerous to "public safety".
www.techradar.com

The EU still wants to scan all your chats – and the rules could come into force by October 2025

Chat Control is back on the lawmakers' table
www.techradar.com www.techradar.com
 
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canadianreader said:
You see why people are fed up of this complicated stuff. If I buy a movie I don't have to worry or think about "creative works". I don't really care, I just wanna enjoy my time and maybe rewatch it a year from now since I own it. But I can't because of licensing issue the movie is no longer available in my library it's unethical to take away (steal) something I paid for but it is legal.
Consumers have little rights compared to big corpos that's why people are pushing back.
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What you paid for is a license to watch a movie, not a movie. You never owned that movie.

Go to Netflix or HBO, and you'll see "LEAVING SOON" labels on some movies. That's because Netflix and HBO do not own the movie. They made a deal with the studio to license that to markets in certain countries for a given amount of time.

People can be fed up with it as much as they want, but the reason the situation is like this is because so many people don't want to buy physical media (CDs, BluRay, etc.) as much as they used to. They'd rather just turn on their streaming service and rent their entertainment. The market has spoken.
 
Jumpthesnark said:
What you paid for is a license to watch a movie, not a movie. You never owned that movie.

Go to Netflix or HBO, and you'll see "LEAVING SOON" labels on some movies. That's because Netflix and HBO do not own the movie. They made a deal with the studio to license that to markets in certain countries for a given amount of time.

People can be fed up with it as much as they want, but the reason the situation is like this is because so many people don't want to buy physical media (CDs, BluRay, etc.) as much as they used to. They'd rather just turn on their streaming service and rent their entertainment. The market has spoken.
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I wasn't talking about Streaming I was taking about Buying / Purchasing a digital copy which Netflix isn't in the business of selling copies anyways so your example doesn't apply. For example Sony, Apple and other platforms where you can own a digital copy. As I said owning isn't owning anymore because of some licensing issues. Again I repeat I'm talking about Owning/Buying not renting or Streaming services.
www.businessinsider.com

PlayStation is removing hundreds of Discovery shows that users already purchased

PlayStation users who bought any of the hundreds of listed Discovery programs won't be able to access the content as of December 31, Sony said.
www.businessinsider.com www.businessinsider.com
 
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uTorrent on mac/windows since it was bought out has been absolutely infested with spyware/malware and serious privacy issues. I am willing to bet something else is going on here because no other torrent app was blocked. ONLY uTorrent.
 
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contacos said:
Might as well stop browser distribution cuz you can potentially use it to download illegal content, just like torrent clients, which aren't illegal in itself
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This is a silly argument because the vast majority of browser use is for legal purposes. I think we all know what the vast majority of torrent use is for.


I’m not saying Apple should or should not block torrents but this argument does not work

On a funnier note, the T word isn’t even recognized by voice to text. I can’t use voice to text. If you look up the word, it awkwardly avoids the most common definition. Apple really does not like that word 😂
 
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Apple maintaining the right to notarize apps even outside their store was okayed by the European Commission that came up with the DMA word vomit.
Simply put, Apple had to open up their platform to others but is also still required to ensure their customers are protected ether through DMA laws or other laws already in place.

I would say this is more likely something like a recall on bananas cause someone found a Brazilian Banana Spider in a container.
 
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