Apple has removed iTorrent, an open-source torrent client for iOS, from the AltStore PAL within the EU. The submission’s removal raises questions, especially considering it was not available on the App Store.

The situation became unclear when iTorrent disappeared from AltStore PAL in July. Daniil Vinogradov, the developer of iTorrent (also known as XITRIX), stated that Apple had revoked the alternative distribution functionality from iTorrent’s Developer Portal without prior warning. Vinogradov also expressed his concern over Apple’s delayed response, which only indicated that “their escalation team is looking into it.” Shane Gill, Co-founder of AltStore PAL, also requested clarification from Apple.

initially, many speculated that the takedown was due to the app’s nature as a torrent client, a reasonable assumption given Apple’s history with such applications. Apple has been known to ban torrent clients as 2009. However,torrent clients themselves are not illegal,nor is downloading via torrents. Examples include Linux ISO torrents, LibreOffice, and public domain media. The legal issue arises when copyrighted content is downloaded and distributed without permission, leading to piracy concerns. A torrent client, in its basic form, functions as a download manager, with the user being responsible for their downloads, not the app developer.

Apple’s Clarification

After a two-month period of interaction, Apple finally disclosed the reason for the removal. It wasn’t due to iTorrent’s torrent capabilities. According to a statement provided by Apple to TorrentFreak,”Notarization for this app was removed in order to comply with government sanctions-related rules in various jurisdictions. We have communicated this to the developer.”

“Notarization for this app was removed to comply with government sanctions-related rules in various jurisdictions.”

This means that Vinogradov’s Apple account was registered in Russia, which violates sanctions. consequently, the app’s EU distribution permissions were revoked. Though, Vinogradov has been residing in Malta for over three years and possesses an EU Residence permit. In a comment on GitHub, Vinogradov clarified that the account details were not updated, acknowledging his oversight. While he understands the reason for the ban, he expressed frustration over the lack of notification from Apple and the extended response time. Vinogradov hopes to reinstate the app on AltStore PAL soon.

The situation raises concerns about apple’s authority and its compliance with the Digital Markets Act. Similar issues could possibly affect Android apps, as Google is also moving towards requiring developers to sign their apps and verify their identities.