Apple Approves a BitTorrent App for iPhone

A BitTorrent app called IS Drive has appeared in Apple’s App Store for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad, despite the company’s past refusal to approve BitTorrent apps because they could be used for Internet piracy.

The app is intended as a tool for managing ImageShack's torrent download service, but it can be adapted to manage downloads from other torrent sites like IsoHunt and Mininova.

BitTorrent is a peer-to-peer file sharing protocol that shares the bandwidth load for large file transfers between large pools of users. It’s often used for legit services like ImageShack, but it has also gathered a lot of negative attention because it’s ideal for use by illegal file sharers.

Apple has always blocked those apps for fear of allowing illegal activity that could undermine its music and video business on iTunes. Nevertheless, there are a couple possible explanations for IS Drive’s emergence.

Apple recently eased up its app store approval guidelines and the secrecy surrounding them in response to a lot of criticism. As a result, lots of apps that were previously not permitted have arrived — Google Voice apps, for example.

It’s also possible that Apple didn’t realize IS Drive is a BitTorrent app. IS Drive’s developer told TorrentFreak, “I always had the thought that if I didn’t call the app a ‘torrent client,’ Apple would probably let it through the review process.” The app doesn’t use the words “torrent” or “BitTorrent” at all, and it’s simply a download manager. There’s no torrenting on the iPhone, iPod touch or iPad running the app.

IS Drive costs $4.99 in the App Store, and the ImageShack sharing service comes loaded with either a monthly or daily fee.

[via mashable]

Posted in: Apple