Tech Desk
Aug 03, 2024
An undated image of App Store. — Unsplash
Recently, Apple revised its app review guidelines allowing PC emulators to be added to its App Store for iPhones and iPads.
Previously, Apple was letting retro game consoles appear in the store, but the company did not allow PC emulators, mentioning that they did not qualify under the current guidelines.
The company was initially hesitant to add the PC emulators, however, the growth of Delta made it clear that there is a fair amount of interest in the apps, and even released Delta on iPad.
Read more: Pirate streaming app available on App Store again after five years
The emulator is software that recreates how a piece of hardware would function and can use read-only memory (ROMs) to play games. However, the issue arises as the ROM is illegally copied for most of these games.
Moreover, the emulator programs rely on downloads from certain sites to work and don't provide the ROMs themselves.
Additionally, Apple also had issues with side-loaded apps and third-party stores that it couldn’t perform the same quality and control the security as it normally does. And therefore, it took so long for Apple to allow RCS messaging.
Although allowing the App Store to PC emulators is a good move; however, users must be familiar with the risks of downloading ROMs and installing them on smartphones.
UTM SE (unified threat management) was the first PC emulator app that Apple allowed on the App Store after initially rejecting it in June. It can currently be installed from the App Store and will soon be available through AltStore PAL in the EU.
