Updates and downloads
*.apps.apple.com
Hosts under apps.apple.com serve App Store content. Apple lists the domain for “Store content such as apps, books, and music”, on every platform.
Short answer
Apple's store content host, for apps, books and music, next to *.itunes.apple.com.
Block with care
Blocking it can stop App Store content from loading or downloading. Turn off automatic updates instead.
- Matches
*.apps.apple.com
A name with *. covers every name under it: *.push.apple.com matches 1-courier.push.apple.com.
What it serves
Apple's enterprise host list names *.apps.apple.com in its Apps and additional content section, on port 443, with proxy support.
It has the same description as *.itunes.apple.com. Apple doesn't say how the two split the work.
On a Mac, the App Store's downloads run in appstoreagent and appstored.
Processes that use it
What breaks if you block it
Block with care
Blocking it can stop App Store content from loading or downloading. Turn off automatic updates instead.
What breaks if you block it
- App Store pages, apps and updates may fail to load or download.
With Kilobat Pro and the network filter, you can block a host for every app or for one app: in Connections, select a connection and choose Block. Apple’s own services are never blocked by Kilobat’s Protection lists.
Apple’s rules for its hosts
Apple’s list, Use Apple products on enterprise networks, says that devices open these connections, not Apple’s servers. Apple services fail any connection that uses HTTPS interception, so a proxy that inspects TLS should leave Apple’s hosts alone.
If a firewall allows hosts by name, allowing *.apple.com covers most Apple services, Apple says. A firewall that works only with addresses can allow 17.0.0.0/8 for IPv4, and 2403:300::/32, 2620:149::/32 and 2a01:b740::/32 for IPv6.
To see which app on your Mac opened a connection to this host, use Kilobat’s Connections tab, or the agent network log for AI agents.
Sources
Checked on 1 November 2026.