Updates and downloads
*.itunes.apple.com
Hosts under itunes.apple.com serve “store content such as apps, books, and music”, Apple says. App Store downloads and updates use them.
Short answer
Apple's store content host, for apps, books and music.
Block with care
Blocking it stops App Store downloads and updates, and other store content. Turn off automatic updates instead.
- Matches
*.itunes.apple.comitunes.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 *.itunes.apple.com and itunes.apple.com in its Apps and additional content section, on ports 443 and 80, with proxy support.
On a Mac, App Store downloads and updates run in appstoreagent and appstored.
Apple also lists vpp.itunes.apple.com for device management of Apps and Books licences.
Processes that use it
What breaks if you block it
Block with care
Blocking it stops App Store downloads and updates, and other store content. Turn off automatic updates instead.
What breaks if you block it
- App Store apps can't install or update.
- Books, music and other store content may not 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
- Apple Support: Use Apple products on enterprise networks
- appstoreagent(8) and appstored(8), man pages installed with macOS 27.2
Checked on 1 November 2026.