Skip to main content

Grab your popcorn: Netflix-style torrent app Popcorn Time is now on iOS

Popcorn Time iOS
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Popcorn Time, the controversial Netflix-style torrent streaming service, has just come out with an app for non-jailbroken iOS devices. In true Popcorn Time fashion, this release is not official, meaning you won’t find it in the App Store. While downloading it may not be straightforward, it only requires a few extra steps to have the app on your iPhone or iPad.

The new app is from the Popcorn Time fork www.popcorn-time.se, which is one of the most popular versions of the service. “For months we’ve been wrecking our bright brains on how we can make this happen. How can we bring our awesome Popcorn Time iOS app to users who don’t want to jailbreak their device? This was one hell of a challenge,” the group wrote in a blog post.

“It took some time for them to figure this out and develop it, but now we’re thrilled to announce that its ready.”

Even though Popcorn Time routinely raises debates on piracy and copyright infringement, the service is gaining popularity, something that is sure to continue with its new release. According to an interview with Wired, Popcorn Time has millions of users and enables as many as 100,000 downloads per day.

Popcorn Time’s success is sure to merit protest among movie and TV production houses. An anonymous developer involved with the service said that they plan to sidestep litigation by trading in their current BitTorrent streaming method for a peer-to-peer based system. Nonetheless, Popcorn Time has not totally escaped persecution; its previous domain, Time4Popcorn.eu, was revoked by EURid, a website domain registrar from Belgium.

The iOS app may just be the start of an overhaul for the Popcorn Time service. In its blog post, the group revealed plans to create a sort of underground app store. The service, which may be integrated into the Popcorn Time iOS app, will feature apps that have not been approved by Apple.

Downloading the app requires connecting an iOS device to a PC with iTunes installed. Right now, the app can’t be loaded onto an iPhone or iPad with a Mac. However, Popcorn Time promised an update in two weeks.

Editors' Recommendations

Christian Brazil Bautista
Christian Brazil Bautista is an experienced journalist who has been writing about technology and music for the past decade…
YouTube TV just got even better on iPhones and iPads
Multiview on YouTube TV on an iPad.

If you use the most popular live-streaming service on an iPhone or iPad, things just got even better. YouTube TV — which boasts more than 8 million subscribers — just pushed multiview live on Apple's mobile devices, as previously promised.

It works basically the same way it does on a television. YouTube TV picks the programs available in multiview, and you get them all at once, with audio coming from one of the shows. Tap another, and the audio switches. And just as before, you can get multiview for sports, news, business, or weather. (Though we definitely don't recommend watching four news channels at once in an election year.) It's just in time for March Madness, which is great, though we hope you'll be able to pick your own games instead of just sticking with the multiple viewing options YouTube TV gives. This will be great come fall, though, when the new season of NFL Sunday Ticket takes hold.

Read more
How to use iOS 17 FaceTime gestures (and what they look like)
Video reactions in macOS Sonoma, with the balloons effect in use.

iOS 17 brought a number of new iPhone features and optimizations to the table, and one of these tweaks adds a few cool layers of entertainment to your FaceTime experience. It’s called FaceTime gestures, and once it’s set up correctly, you’ll be able to send 3D animations to your friends and family during FaceTime video calls. You’ll even be able to trigger the animations with physical gestures!

Getting your phone ready for action doesn’t take much time or effort, but we put this guide together to walk you through the process nonetheless. 
How to make a FaceTime gesture in iOS 17

Read more
8 iPhone browser apps you should use instead of Safari
iPhone browser apps

By default, the Safari web browser is available on every iPhone, including the iPhone 15 series. Nevertheless, several other web-browsing options can be found on the App Store, each with at least one unique feature that distinguishes it from the others. While some web browser apps like Google Chrome, DuckDuckGo, and Microsoft Edge might already be familiar to you, others such as Aloha and Arc Search may not be.

If you're looking for a Safari alternative, here are our favorite iPhone browser apps you should consider using instead.
Google Chrome

Read more