iPhone and iPad owners who live in the European Union can now install torrenting apps like iTorrent and qBitControl, but not from the App Store.
Apple’s rules prohibit apps that could be used to pirate content, like various BitTorrent clients, and that’s not changing anytime soon. The company’s review guidelines spell out in black and white that torrenting apps are a big no-no as they’re “often used for the purpose of infringing third-party rights.”
But in the European Union, where the Digital Markets Act has forced Apple to permit alternative app stores to level the playing field for developers, the first torrenting clients are now available on AltStore PAL, an alternative iOS marketplace co-created by developer Riley Testut, the brains behind the popular Delta emulator.
iPhone torrenting clients launch on AltStore PAL in the EU
The Verge notes that AltStore PAL now hosts both iTorrent and qBitControl. You previously had to jailbreak your iPhone to install torrenting apps, but now they’re legit even if not hosted on App Stores operating in the EU member states.
iTorrent lets you download torrent files sequentially from different servers on the internet directly on your iPhone or iPad, open the magnet links using the browser of your choice, watch partially downloaded torrents, etc.
qBitControl is a remote qBittorrent torrenting client a web interface and no ads, advanced control over torrents, trackers and peers, and more. qBittorrent is available on other major platforms, including Windows, Linux, FreeBSD and OS/2.
The other apps launched on AltStore PAL today include PeopleDrop, a dating social discovery app, and the UTM SE app which lets you emulate the macOS, Windows and Linux operating systems on your iPhone or iPad.
AltStore PAL launched three months ago in the European Union, priced at €1.50/year, hosting the free Nintendo emulator Delta and Clip, a clipboard manager for iOS.