How to Download Torrents on Your Android Device

If you’re fond of using torrents on your home computer, there’s no reason why you can’t use them on your Android device too.   Finding and downloading torrents on an Android device is easy–and best of all, free.  Be aware, though, that just because something is freely available via torrent does not mean that it is legally available.

In case you didn’t know, a torrent is a small file that provides a BitTorrent client with information about where to find and download the pieces of a larger file (often a media file or archived application).  When you open a .torrent file in a BitTorrent client, the client begins downloading and assembling the file.  BitTorrent users don’t download files from one central location.  Instead, they use peer-to-peer file sharing and download thousands of pieces of files from dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of different users.

When the torrent has finished downloading, the complete file will be available on your computer (or device).  Torrents are somewhat infamous for granting free access to pirated music, movies, and software. Often, they are used for completely legitimate purposes.  Asus, for example, distributes its device driver files through the BitTorrent protocol. Large amounts of non-copyrighted media are also available through this source.

How to download torrents on an Android device:  

1.     Go to the Market and download and install an app called aDownloader.  Other free options are available, but this app combines ease of use with no download throttling.

2.     Open aDownloader and configure where you would like it to save your files.  Press the “Settings’ gear icon on the top left corner and then tap “Download Directory” to set your torrents’ download location.  Unfortunately, there is no drop down menu for selecting directories; so you need to enter a path manually.  If you’re not sure what path to enter, use ASTRO File Manager or a similar tool to see the complete directory paths.  But /mnt/sdcard/Download should work for most Android devices.   Now you’re ready to find and download torrents!

3.     Open your browser and visit a torrent repository, such as www.seedpeer.me.  Type whatever you’re searching for in the search box to the right of the Seedpeer logo and tap “Torrents.”  I’ll use “Mozart” as an example.

4.      With Seedpeer (as well as many other torrent search engines), the top results are actually fake advertisements. Scroll past the “Verified Mozart Torrents” section and  find the section that reads, “678 Mozart Torrents were found.” Skip past the five or so results immediately underneath that and look at the torrents contained within the table headed by the Torrent name, Age, Size, Seeds, Peers, and Health columns.

5.     Find a torrent that looks appealing and tap its name.   (Hint: For best download performance, choose a torrent with a high number in the “Seeds” column.  Seeds are users who are sharing a given file in its entirety.)

6.     Tap the “Download this Torrent” link.  Do not press any of the other buttons.  If prompted to “Complete action using,” choose aDownloader.

7.    Tap the downloaded file icon in the notification area, which should show the name of the downloaded torrent.

If prompted to choose a program for completing the action, select “aDownloader.”  When aDownloader opens, confirm that you do want to download the file, then wait as your download progresses.  Once finished, you can access or manipulate the file as you would on any other file saved on your device.

Helpful Hint: Using torrents is a two-way street.  In other words, while you’re downloading a file via torrent, you’re also uploading that file.  Once you’ve finished downloading a file, you can tap on the name of the torrent in aDownloader and then press “Remove task” so you no longer upload any additional data.