Apple has removed the iPhone torrenting client, iTorrent, from AltStore PAL’s alternative iOS marketplace in the EU, showing that it can still exert control over apps that aren’t listed on the official App Store. iTorrent developer Daniil Vinogradov told TorrentFreak that Apple has revoked his distribution rights to publish apps in any alternative iOS stores, so the issue isn’t tied to AltStore PAL itself.
“Apple removed Alternative Distribution functionality from iTorrent’s Developer Portal without any warning,” Vinogradov said on iTorrent’s Github page. Apple has not provided a reason for the removal, according Vinogradov, and distribution was revoked at the Apple Dev Account level. The matter is also being investigated by AltStore PAL.
While Apple bans torrent apps on its own iOS store, the EU’s Digital Markets Act gave iPhone users within the bloc greater freedom to install apps from third-party app stores that the Cupertino company doesn’t directly manage. iTorrent was added to AltStore PAL in July last year, which raises the question: why now?
We’ve asked Apple to answer that and will update this story if we hear back.
