Dubbed the "Netflix of Pirating", popular BitTorrent client Popcorn Time made its debut on the iPhone screen last week with an off-the-books iOS app.

Popcorn Time is a multi-platform, open-source BitTorrent client with a slick media player that makes downloading an illegal copy of, say, Horrible Bosses 2 as simple as clicking play on a Netflix title.

See also: Popcorn Time Is Far From Gone

While several separate iterations of the Popcorn Time software exist online, Popcorn-Time.se is the mastermind behind the torrenting iPhone app released last week.

Popcorn-Time.se had more than a million worldwide users before their previous domain was seized in October. But they came back stronger than ever in 2015, taking several measures to remain a step ahead of anti-torrenting groups.

Mashable contacted Popcorn-Time.se through an e-mail address provided on their homepage, and spoke to the team about their torrent client. "We know that this service is something that needs to exist," said a Popcorn-Time.se representative who preferred to remain anonymous.

Popcorn Time is not technically illegal, since it doesn't actually host copyright-infringing torrents on it's platform. In essence, it's a good-looking interface and built-in media player that merely links to illegal torrents hosted elsewhere online.

But the copyright-infringing torrent files themselves are explicitly illegal. Popcorn Time's role is merely creating a great environment for those torrented clips to be consumed.

In fact, the viewing experience on Popcorn Time is so seamless that many users don't know that they're actually downloading entire movies to a temporary file on their computer every time they press play.

Popcorn-Time.se has taken steps beyond any other torrenting service to ensure the safety and anonymity of its users. "Popcorn Time is the first and only software in the world that enables users to download torrents anonymously via a free, built-in VPN," the Popcorn-Time.se representative said.

Thus far, the developers of Popcorn-Time.se have been successful at outwitting the law with their technical knowhow. Their current goal is to strengthen their network of users by bringing Popcorn Time to every platform.

"The mobile market is even bigger than our desktop market," said the representative. "We launched our Android app eight months ago, and the [jailbroken] iOS app a few months after that, and it wasn't long 'til mobile became the leading platform for Popcorn Time! Nowadays, we have the biggest amount of active users on Android."

Now the developers behind Popcorn-Time.se have figured out how to sneak their app past the infamously tight-leashed App Store review process without requiring a jailbreak, making Popcorn Time available to millions more users, this time on iOS.

To make it into the App Store's "walled garden" of sorts, developers must adhere to a long list of stipulations. For example, "apps that enable illegal file sharing will be rejected."

Often, iPhone users choose to jailbreak their devices by installing software that overrides iOS and Apple's protections, but doing so can be a headache and comes with a slew of risks.

Users of non-jailbroken products have traditionally been forced to remain in the bounds decided for them by Apple.

However, Popcorn-Time.se has been able to circumvent Apple's vetting process by partnering with a new app installation software for non-jailbroken iPhones called IOSInstaller. The installation is relatively easy to use and requires putting your phone on Airplane Mode for part of the download.

"The team who made this whole installation on non-jailbroken iOS devices possible is getting ready for battle," the representative from Popcorn-Time.se told us. "They have no doubt that Apple won't take it lightly that the walls of their closed app garden have been broken into, so they're readying for a long, tedious war.

"This is the threshold of a super exciting time for [IOSInstaller] and us, because they're going to challenge the whole totalitarian regime of Apple," the representative added.

Currently, the non-jailbroken iOS app can only be downloaded with the assistance of a Windows computer, but Popcorn-Time.se developers are planning to roll out a Mac download in the next month. Also in the works is a Popcorn Time app for Windows phones.

"You can say that this is the first time (and definitely not the last) that Popcorn Time is making moves outside the movies world, and it's freakin' exciting. It's huge."

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