Apple Apple is opening up its App Store for video-game emulators

​

Apple has long been known for jailing off several off from its App Store according to their guidelines, and one such type of applications was video-game emulators. However, that all will change in the near future thank to a recent update in regards to Apple's guidelines regarding 3rd party applications, specifically emulators themselves.

On Friday April 5th, 2024, Apple updated its guidelines for the App Store, and the focus for this update was section 4.7, which talks about Third Party Software, like mini apps, mini games, streaming games, chatbots, plug-ins, and the recently added game emulators. The exact excerpt for the update in regard to video game emulators specifies the following:

4.7 Mini apps, mini games, streaming games, chatbots, plug-ins, and game emulators
Apps may offer certain software that is not embedded in the binary, specifically HTML5 mini apps and mini games, streaming games, chatbots, and plug-ins. Additionally, retro game console emulator apps can offer to download games. You are responsible for all such software offered in your app, including ensuring that such software complies with these Guidelines and all applicable laws. Software that does not comply with one or more guidelines will lead to the rejection of your app. You must also ensure that the software adheres to the additional rules that follow in 4.7.1 and 4.7.5. These additional rules are important to preserve the experience that App Store customers expect, and to help ensure user safety.

• 4.7.1 Software offered in apps under this rule must:
  • follow all privacy guidelines, including but not limited to the rules set forth in Guideline 5.1 concerning collection, use, and sharing of data, and sensitive data (such as health and personal data from kids);
  • include a method for filtering objectionable material, a mechanism to report content and timely responses to concerns, and the ability to block abusive users; and
  • use in-app purchase in order to offer digital goods or services to end users.
• 4.7.2 Your app may not extend or expose native platform APIs to the software without prior permission from Apple.
• 4.7.3 Your app may not share data or privacy permissions to any individual software offered in your app without explicit user consent in each instance.
• 4.7.4 You must provide an index of software and metadata available in your app. It must include universal links that lead to all of the software offered in your app.
• 4.7.5 Your app must share the age rating of the highest age-rated content available in your app.

One such known emulator that was recently approved for distribution, albeit for an alternate side loading store for iOS called AltStore, is the Game Boy Advance emulator known as Delta (previously GBA4iOS), with developer Riley Testut posting about the emulator's approval for the AltStore on April 7th, 2024 through Mastodon.

Riley Testut :fatpikachu: (@rileytestut@mastodon.social)

Attached: 1 image Delta has been APPROVED for distribution with @altstore@fosstodon.org 🥳 Thanks for the half-birthday present Apple :)

mastodon.social

The recent approval of Delta to the AltStore is entirely separate, but still remains to be seen if Delta will hit the App Store officially.

One particular point of interest in the recent update, is that Apple's Guidelines specifically mention that "retro game console emulator apps can offer to download games. You are responsible for all such software offered in your app, including ensuring that such software complies with these Guidelines and all applicable laws." This makes it seems as if only legal material, such as homebrew games developed for retro game consoles, are seemingly the only ones which will be allowed to be downloaded and play. Until a video game emulator is properly approved for distribution on the official App Store, it remains to be seen if users will be able to provide their own ROMs instead of just relying on downloadable games through the emulators themselves.

Source
App Store emulator guidelines update