The first PC emulator for the iPhone and iPad's iOS and iPadOS is finally available on the App Store, with UTM SE making its debut to deliver classic and retro experiences for all. It is known that Apple previously rejected computer system emulators on the App Store last month, and its developers revealed that there were unclear answers from Cupertino regarding this disapproval.
That being said, PC emulators can now access on the App Store to recreate the experiences on classic operating systems including Windows, Mac, Linux, and more.
Apple's 1st PC Emulator for iPhone and iPad is Now Available
UTM SE via GitHub
The first retro PC emulator on the Apple App Store is now approved and available to download, with UTM SE offering the classic computer era for iPhones and iPads. Its developers, Turing Software, LLC, shared this latest development on GitHub, saying it is also available to launch via Mac, offering renowned operating systems like Windows, Linux, Mac, and more available to emulate.
According to UTM's website, the app has a wide range of emulation capabilities which can bring more than 30 operating systems available to get back in this modern era via QEMU, including x86_64, ARM64, and RISC-V.
UTM SE: What Classic and Retro Experiences Does It Bring?
Despite Apple's initial rejection of PC emulators as they are not retro games, UTM SE is bringing its first features available for users with full OS including Windows XP, ArchLinux, old macOS versions, FreeDOS, and more.
The app is available to download for free on iOS 11 and later versions, offering high compatibility among older Apple devices, also compatible with accessories like external keyboards, mice, controllers, Apple Pencil, and more.
Apart from the much-awaited iOS 18 release from Apple, the EU DMA taking effect in the European region gave hope to iOS users for the possibility of retro emulators coming to iPhones. Users initially thought that this was coming for the EU region only, but that changed when Cupertino updated its App Store guidelines which marked the era for accepting these types of apps.
It was not long before the official debut of emulators to the App Store, and it all started with Game Boy emulators which was the classic retro experience for devices, among the most popular on Android and jailbroken iPhones. Later on, it was followed by other retro experiences such as the Nintendo DS, NES, SNES, and Nintendo 64, with the likes of RetroArch offering almost all classic consoles, including the Sony PSP.
The variety of emulator apps on the App Store is massive now, and it is a feature that iOS and iPadOS users may now enjoy without the need to jailbreak or tweak their devices. And despite Apple initially rejecting two PC emulator apps, a recent application for UTM SE by Turing Software, LLC is now available to download for iPhones and iPads, offering retro computer experiences for all.
