Apple updates App Store guidelines to allow PC game emulators on iPhones

Apple has updated app review guidelines, allowing mini apps, mini games, streaming games, chatbots, plug-ins, and game emulators

Apple has revised its App Store guidelines with regard to rules related to emulator apps to clearly express allowance for game downloads for PC emulators. Apple has updated the guidelines for app notarization effective for third-party apps that are submitted for distribution outside of the App Store in the European Union. After this, App Store guidelines 4.7, 4.7.2, and 4.7.3 have now become part of the EU notarisation review process. The new guidelines will simplify the approval process for PC emulator apps.

Section 4.7 of the App Review Guidelines has been modified to include the changes. The modified 4.7 guidelines state that mini apps, mini games, streaming games, chatbots, plug-ins, and game emulators are allowed. Additionally, 4.7.2 states that apps will be prevented from extending or exposing native platform APIs to the software without Apple's permission and 4.7.3 warns against apps sharing data or privacy permissions to any individual software offered within an app without user consent.

This change arrives after Apple’s App store approved PC emulator UTM SE, which allows users to emulate old versions of Windows, macOS and Linux to use classic software and games. Apple had initially rejected UTM SE in June even though retro game emulators were allowed in April. Apple had said that it was limited to console emulators and PC emulators were excluded. UTM SE was the first PC emulator app to be allowed on the App Store.