Apple Approves the First PC Emulator for iPhone and iPad

In a surprising move, Apple has approved UTM SE, the first PC emulator for iPhone and iPad, making it available on the App Store. This app allows users to emulate old versions of Windows, macOS, and more on their iOS devices.

Earlier this year, Apple updated its App Store Guidelines to permit game emulators, initially benefiting the European Union and gradually expanding globally. This policy change led to the release of several game emulators on the App Store, including the popular Nintendo emulator Delta.

Despite this, UTM SE faced rejection by Apple in June, both from the global App Store and third-party app marketplaces in the European Union. Apple initially stated that only "retro game" emulators were allowed, excluding PC emulators like UTM SE, which are often used for playing retro games. This decision sparked backlash and potential intervention from the European Commission.

However, over the weekend, UTM SE developers announced via social media that Apple had reversed its decision. UTM SE is now available for download from the App Store and will soon be accessible via AltStore PAL in the EU. The reasons behind Apple’s reversal remain unclear.

UTM SE is a robust PC emulator that lets users run classic software and vintage games on their iOS devices. Key features include:

Support for both VGA mode for graphics and terminal mode for text-only operating systems

Emulation of x86, PPC, and RISC-V architectures

Options to run pre-built machines or create custom configurations

Built on QEMU, a powerful and widely-used emulator

One caveat to note is that apps on iOS cannot use a JIT compiler, meaning that the functionality and performance of emulators running through UTM SE on iPhone and iPad may not match those on other platforms.