Emulators are a sensitive topic in the Apple ecosystem. On Android they exist without any major problem, but those from Cupertino don't like them at all, and for many years they were strictly prohibited. Since to launch an application in the App Store, it has to be approved by a specialized department in Cupertino, the policy in recent years has always been to reject any proposal that resembles an emulator. However, recently those from Cupertino have confirmed that there will be certain emulators that will reach the iPhone legally and from the App Store. Of course, computer ones will not be one of them.
Most people who download a emulator, they usually want it to play games on old consoles that they no longer have, but that they had at some point, and which they enjoyed as children. We are talking about the Nintendo DS, the GameBoy, etc. A whole series of products that marked the childhood of many, but are no longer manufactured. Emulators are a good way to bring back that fun without having to buy a new—usually used—device. Although they have their cons, which are what those from Cupertino don't like. The most obvious: emulator games are almost always pirated. Not for anything in particular, they simply have to be. You cannot transfer a game from a DS cartridge to a computer just like that, so you have no choice but to download the file from the Internet.
«A computer is not a console»
Update: Apple has reached out and clarified that the notarization was rejected under rule 2.5.2 and that 4.7 is an exception that only applies to App Store apps (but which UTM SE does not qualify for).
June 10, 2024 • 16:11
Even with all this, those from Cupertino finally agreed to this with the aim of silencing all criticism about their strong decision regarding emulators. However, it does seem that, despite everything, there will be a type of emulator that Apple will continue to prohibit even though it has admitted many different ones: those of computer. This is explained by a recent report by The Verge:
“iDOS 3 developer Chaoji Li shared with The Verge some of the reasons for Apple's rejection. “The app offers emulator features, but does not specifically emulate a retro game console,” according to Apple's notice. “Only retro game console emulators are appropriate according to guideline 4.7.”
“When I asked what changes I should make to comply with the standard, they had no idea, nor did they have a clue when I asked what a retro game console is,” Li said in a blog post. “It's still the same old unreasonable response along the lines of 'we know it when we see it.'”
It is clear from those in Cupertino that only retro console emulators are allowed. So we can forget about more modern video game consoles, computers, and anything else that does not fall into that category. In fact, those in Cupertino even went so far as to make their argument that a computer, although it can play retro games, is not considered a console:
“The App Store Review Board determined that 'the PC is not a console' without taking into account the fact that there are retro Windows/DOS games for the PC”
