Apple Approves UTM SE as First PC Emulator for iPhone, iPad on the App Store

Apple's decision to allow UTM SE on the App Store comes a month after the iPhone maker refused to approve it as it was a PC emulator.

Written by Akash Dutta, Edited by David Delima | Updated: 15 July 2024 17:14 IST

Apple Approves UTM SE as First PC Emulator for iPhone, iPad on the App Store

Photo Credit: UTM

iOS does not allow JIT compiler-based emulators on its platform

Highlights

Apple revised policies in April to allow game emulators on the App Store
UTM SE can emulate x86, PPC, and RISC-V operating systems
Apple previously rejected UTM SE because it was a PC emulator

Apple on Sunday approved UTM Slow Edition (SE) on the App Store, making it the first PC emulator to be listed on its app marketplace. The decision came a month after the Cupertino-based tech giant rejected the application of the PC emulator, citing its existing policy. Notably, the company said it would only allow emulators for retro games and not those that emulate PC systems while explaining the rejection. The iPhone maker has yet to reveal the reason behind the revised decision.

UTM SE Launched as First PC Emulator on the App Store

Announcing the new development in a post on X (formerly known as Twitter), the official handle of UTM said, “We are happy to announce that UTM SE is available (for free) on iOS and visionOS App Store.” The emulator company also highlighted that UTM SE will soon be launched on AltStore PAL, a third-party app marketplace for iOS users in the EU.

As per the description on its App Store listing, UTM SE allows users to run old-school PC games and software. It supports VGA mode for both graphics as well as on terminal mode for text-only operating systems. The app can emulate architectures such as X86, PPC, and RISC-V. The app claims that it will let users run both pre-built machines and allow them to configure machines from scratch. The app is built on top of the Quick Emulator (QEMU) machine emulator.

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In April, Apple revised its policies to finally allow emulators to be listed on its app marketplace for iPhone and iPad. However, at the time, the company specified that it would only allow retro game console emulators. Last month, it rejected UTM's application to be listed on the App Store citing that it does not qualify for the platform as it is not a game emulator.

“We will adhere by Apple's content and policy decision because we believe UTM SE (which does not have JIT) is a subpar experience and isn't worth fighting for. We do not wish to invest any additional time or effort trying to get UTM SE in the App Store or third-party stores unless Apple changes their stance,” the company said after the rejection.

The approval now points towards further policy changes made by the tech giant. Whether this was an exception since UTM SE does not use the Just-In-Time (JIT) compiler (iOS does not allow JIT-based apps), or if Apple will allow more PC and software emulators is not known at present.

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Further reading: Apple, App Store, Emulators, UTM SE

Akash Dutta Email Akash Dutta

Akash Dutta is a Senior Sub Editor at Gadgets 360. He is particularly interested in the social impact of technological developments and loves reading about emerging fields such as AI, metaverse, and fediverse. In his free time, he can be seen supporting his favourite football club - Chelsea, watching movies and anime, and sharing passionate opinions on food. More