Despite permitting retro video game emulators on the App Store, Apple has recently rejected two apps for being PC emulators, theverge reports.
The rejected apps are iDOS 3, a new version of the popular DOS emulator, and UTM SE, which emulates operating systems like Windows on iOS. According to Apple, these releases violate guideline 4.7 of the App Review Guidelines, which allows only retro game emulators.
Chaoji Li, the developer of iDOS 3, shared Apple’s reasoning for the rejection with The Verge. “The app provides emulator functionality but is not emulating a retro game console specifically,” Apple’s notice stated.
“Only emulators of retro game consoles are appropriate per guideline 4.7.” Li expressed frustration in a blog post, noting that Apple was unable to specify the necessary changes to comply with the guideline, nor could they define what constitutes a retro game console. “It’s still the same old unreasonable answer along the line of ‘we know it when we see it,’” Li remarked.
UTM SE also faced rejection and shared their experience on X. “The App Store Review Board determined that ‘PC is not a console’ regardless of the fact that there are retro Windows / DOS games for the PC that UTM SE can be useful in running,” the post stated. Additionally, Apple is preventing UTM SE from being notarized for third-party app stores, citing a violation of guideline 2.5.2, which mandates that apps must be self-contained and cannot execute code that changes the app’s features or functionality.
While Apple typically disallows just-in-time (JIT) compilation, UTM clarified that UTM SE does not include JIT compilation. Apple further explained that guideline 4.7, which allows apps to offer “certain software that is not embedded in the binary,” applies only to App Store apps, a category that UTM SE does not qualify for, according to a follow-up post from UTM.
