Speaking to VentureBeat, the team behind Popcorn TIme was quoted as saying, “Popcorn Time, so it seems, is the most downloaded mobile app outside the Google and Apple stores. And we take huge pride in this. This is us, this is what we’ve created and it’s fucking breaking records.”
They also go on to add that it is currently the only iOS app that can be installed on non-jailbroken devices outside the iTunes App Store, something which at the moment seems to be particularly true. “But the silver lining of this whole thing, what’s even bigger in our perspective, is the fact that Popcorn Time is the only app in the *world* that can be installed on non-jailbroken iOS devices outside [Apple’s] app store.”
How this works is through the use of a custom installer that allows for apps not downloaded from the iTunes App Store to be installed on iOS devices. Given how Apple has been so strict and careful when it comes to their App Store, no doubt they’re probably working on figuring how how to prevent this from happening in future updates.