Installing Apps
To install an app simply click on the “Apps” button on the μTorrent sidebar and select the app you would like to install.
Before clicking on “Install” you can choose to view the description of the app by clicking on the app icon. This will open a new window with the description of the app.
Once you start installing the app, it will download and install automatically. To launch the app simply click on it in the sidebar. Some apps may require additional permissions before they launch (e.g. uBrowse, uMap and VLC).
1. TED
I have been watching videos on TED.com ever since the site launched. Some of the most riveting talks on the internet can be found on this website. So, it was no surprise that the first app I installed was the TED app.
This app simplifies the process of downloading and viewing TED videos on your computer. All you have to do is launch the app and select the video you would like to “Download“.
The video you have chosen will immediately start downloading on μTorrent.
2. uBrowse
uBrowse is a simple app that displays a list of all your downloaded torrent files.
The app is useful as it provides a simple list of all your torrents and all the files within the torrents as well. You are able to launch all these files by clicking on “Open“. Alternatively, you can browse the location of the torrent by clicking on “Show“.
This app ensures that you do not have to waste time hunting for a particular torrent you have downloaded earlier.
3. uMap
uMap is a novel app that allows you to view where the peers (seeders and leechers) of the torrents you are downloading are located.
Once launched, you can view all the peers on a world map. You can organise the map to display the peers by Client, Swarm, or Country.
4. Virus Guard
Virus Guard is an essential app for every μTorrent user. Instead of having your computer’s antivirus scan each and every file, you can simply use Virus Guard (powered by bitdefender) to scan the individual torrent file downloaded. Virus Guard even allows you to scan within ZIP, RAR and TAR archives.
When you first run Virus Guard it will update its virus definitions file. After the definitions have been updated all the torrents you are downloading will immediately be scanned. In the future you can choose to scan all your torrents or simply scan an individual torrent by selecting it and clicking on the Virus Guard icon in the main toolbar.
I would also recommend you select “Start Virus Guard when μTorrent starts“, since download torrents can be dangerous as they may be laden with malware.
5. VLC
VLC is the standard media program that every computer user must have. It is no different on μTorrent, where we recommend you install the VLC app to view your downloaded media.
The app displays all your downloaded audio and video files in a simple list. You can launch and play any of the files by simply clicking on them and hitting “Play“.
Conclusion
The μTorrent App Studio is a great enhancement to an already robust piece of software. Much like extensions on Firefox, the ability to add apps onto μTorrent allows the user to customise the client to their liking. However, the App Studio is quite limited. As of this writing, there are only 17 apps available. Once developers start making more apps for the App Studio the functionality of μTorrent will increase dramatically. Let us know which apps you like to use with μTorrent.
