Apple Approves First Retro PC Emulator for iPhone, iPad, and Vision Pro

Apple this weekend approved free PC emulator "UTM SE" for the App Store on iPhone, iPad, and Vision Pro. The app allows users to emulate old versions of Windows OS, macOS, Linux, and more to fire up classic software and games on Apple devices.

utm se pc emulator ios
As the first of its kind to be allowed on the App Store, UTM SE offers several unique features like VGA mode support for graphics and terminal mode for text-only OSes, emulation of x86, PPC, and RISC-V architectures, support for pre-built machines, and the ability to create custom bootable machines.

Apple initially rejected the app in June, despite changing its global App Store policy in April regarding retro game emulators. According to the developers, Apple said the app violated rule 4.7 of its App Review Guidelines because "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.

Apple also deemed UTM SE unsuitable for third-party marketplaces in the European Union, because it violated rule 2.5.2 of its Notarization Review Guidelines. That rule states that apps have to be self-contained and can't execute code "which introduces or changes features or functionality of the app, including other apps."

After Apple's rejection, UTM's developer said they would not keep going back and forth because the app would become "a subpar experience." However, after help from the AltStore team and another developer to work on some changes, UTM SE was finally approved by Apple on Saturday.

As with other emulators, UTM SE requires that users supply the operating systems they want to emulate, but the UTM site includes guides for Windows XP through Windows 11 emulation, as well as downloads of pre-built virtual Linux machines. UTM SE can be downloaded from the App Store [Direct Link].

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Top Rated Comments

saltukkos Avatar
9 months ago
<sarcasm>Thanks EU, now I can install Windows viruses on my iPhone!</sarcasm>
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Superhai Avatar
9 months ago

How smoothly does the ARM version of Windows 11 run? It could be a game changer.
Oh the irony if the iPad would become the best Windows tablet. All while macOS cannot be run.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SanderEvers Avatar
9 months ago

How smoothly does the ARM version of Windows 11 run? It could be a game changer.
Without JIT I can't see it being usable at all.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
purplerainpurplerain Avatar
9 months ago
There's almost no GPU acceleration and no use case. You install it, see the ****** experience and then delete it to get your disk space back.

This type of thing is for social media nut jobs to post screenshots with caption 'LooK moM Iam sO amaZe I installED useLeSS Windows XP on iPad. PleaSe Follow mE to LeArn How I do it'
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
purplerainpurplerain Avatar
9 months ago

"EmUlAtOrS aRe OnLy UsEd FoR pIrAcY" in 3...2...1..
I wEnT to TArGet AnD bouGHT oRIgnal WindoWs XP jusT yestadAY! HonEST
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
-BigMac- Avatar
9 months ago

So does that mean that iPad could actually become useful and productive thingy?
Because playing retro games is peak productivity
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)