Opt-out for UTM
The App Review group from the Apple App Store rejected the application of the developers of UTM, a universal PC system emulator for iPhone and iPad. This was announced in early June 2024 by the publication 9to5mac.
The Executive Review board (ERB) sets policies for Apple's developer relations departments around the world, often referred to as the App Review team. The ERB is the body that makes the final decision on whether an app can remain in the store or it will be blocked. App verification is becoming increasingly important as Apple receives more revenue from services like the App Store, and security is a key selling feature of the iPhone.
The open-source app from UTM was sent to the store, given a recent rule change allowing the use of retro game console emulators such as Delta or Folium. App Review rejected UTM, reminding the developer that "A personal computer (PC) is not a game console." UTM developers also report that Apple is blocking the placement of the app in third-party app stores in the EU.
This means that the OS environments it supports cannot be emulated in apps in the iOS App Store or third-party app stores due to the lack of qualifications for notarization. Although the definition is strange, reports 9to5mac. The early versions for Windows and DOS that will run on UTM SE are contemporaries of the Commodore 64, Commodore Amiga, and Atari ST, all of which now have functional emulation on iOS.
On April 5, 2024, Apple allowed third-party developers to publish retro game emulators in the App Store. This opportunity came as part of the opening of the Apple ecosystem to the EU and easing the App Store policy. The first thing that will appear in the app store is emulators of early consoles, such as the NES, SNES, SEGA and PS1.
As written in Apple's "App Verification Guide". Rule 4.7 applies to " mini-apps, mini-games, streaming games, chatbots, plugins, and game emulators. UTM claims that Apple refused to notarize the app due to a violation of rule 4.7, which is included in the"Notarization Verification Guide". However, the "App Review Rules" page does not agree with this. Rule 4.7 is not repealed as part of the"Guidelines for Verifying Notarization".
9to5mac journalists checked this statement. If the user selects the "Show only recommendations for verifying notarization" radio button in the App Store, rule 4.7 will be grayed out as not applicable. So it's unclear whether Apple's UTM reviewers were wrong to claim that the app is not suitable for distribution by third-party app stores in the EU.
It seems that UTM is not going to challenge the current decision. Since applications distributed on iOS cannot use the JIT compiler, the functionality and performance of emulators running through UTM SE, the version submitted for review with JIT disabled was significantly degraded. Developers from UTM say that it is not even worth fighting for UTM SE approval, because the gain is so insignificant that it does not even pay for the cost of candles.
Apple's restriction does not apply to the Mac version of UTM VMs, which is still available in the Mac App Store and directly from UTM. Mac software allows users to run Windows 10, 11, Ubuntu Linux, or even older versions of macOS itself in emulation of their own licensed copies of the OS.
UTM emulation of various operating systems (OS) on a Mac allows you to run a wide selection of old applications and games on the latest computers based on Intel and Apple Silicon processors. While UTM has previously posted screenshots of iOS and iPadOS versions on its website, UTM developers have now given notice that they will withdraw from this work until Apple changes its position - which doesn't seem to happen in the near future.
Game emulators
Users who wanted to play games from other devices had to search for an emulation program in alternative repositories. Once installed, they also had to find or create their own copies of ROM or ROM files for console games, or get unlicensed versions of the OS platforms they needed to emulate, as well as a copy of the original game software.
In April 2024, Apple finally changed its stance on game emulators, allowing them to be published in the App Store, and not just in the EU, where there was a precedent. However, as expected, this change will not bring much joy to gamers, as it will most likely not affect the availability of popular games and will not improve their overall gaming experience.
According to Apple, emulators must comply with all privacy rules, including the collection, use and exchange of data, as well as have mechanisms for filtering unwanted content, responding to problems in a timely manner, the ability to block users and offer digital goods for sale inside the app. In addition, the statement emphasizes that emulators with pirated games are prohibited and will be removed from the App Store. In fact, the main innovation will be the ability to download emulation programs without jailbreaking.
Apple also clarified that mini-games and mini-apps inside large apps should use HTML5. In addition, in response to a request from the European Commission (EC), Apple promised to allow music streaming apps to include internal links that redirect to external resources to pay for content.
The App Review group from the Apple App Store rejected the application of the developers of UTM, a universal PC system emulator for iPhone and iPad. This was announced in early June 2024 by the publication 9to5mac.
The Executive Review board (ERB) sets policies for Apple's developer relations departments around the world, often referred to as the App Review team. The ERB is the body that makes the final decision on whether an app can remain in the store or it will be blocked. App verification is becoming increasingly important as Apple receives more revenue from services like the App Store, and security is a key selling feature of the iPhone.
The open-source app from UTM was sent to the store, given a recent rule change allowing the use of retro game console emulators such as Delta or Folium. App Review rejected UTM, reminding the developer that "A personal computer (PC) is not a game console." UTM developers also report that Apple is blocking the placement of the app in third-party app stores in the EU.
This means that the OS environments it supports cannot be emulated in apps in the iOS App Store or third-party app stores due to the lack of qualifications for notarization. Although the definition is strange, reports 9to5mac. The early versions for Windows and DOS that will run on UTM SE are contemporaries of the Commodore 64, Commodore Amiga, and Atari ST, all of which now have functional emulation on iOS.
On April 5, 2024, Apple allowed third-party developers to publish retro game emulators in the App Store. This opportunity came as part of the opening of the Apple ecosystem to the EU and easing the App Store policy. The first thing that will appear in the app store is emulators of early consoles, such as the NES, SNES, SEGA and PS1.
As written in Apple's "App Verification Guide". Rule 4.7 applies to " mini-apps, mini-games, streaming games, chatbots, plugins, and game emulators. UTM claims that Apple refused to notarize the app due to a violation of rule 4.7, which is included in the"Notarization Verification Guide". However, the "App Review Rules" page does not agree with this. Rule 4.7 is not repealed as part of the"Guidelines for Verifying Notarization".
9to5mac journalists checked this statement. If the user selects the "Show only recommendations for verifying notarization" radio button in the App Store, rule 4.7 will be grayed out as not applicable. So it's unclear whether Apple's UTM reviewers were wrong to claim that the app is not suitable for distribution by third-party app stores in the EU.
It seems that UTM is not going to challenge the current decision. Since applications distributed on iOS cannot use the JIT compiler, the functionality and performance of emulators running through UTM SE, the version submitted for review with JIT disabled was significantly degraded. Developers from UTM say that it is not even worth fighting for UTM SE approval, because the gain is so insignificant that it does not even pay for the cost of candles.
Apple's restriction does not apply to the Mac version of UTM VMs, which is still available in the Mac App Store and directly from UTM. Mac software allows users to run Windows 10, 11, Ubuntu Linux, or even older versions of macOS itself in emulation of their own licensed copies of the OS.
UTM emulation of various operating systems (OS) on a Mac allows you to run a wide selection of old applications and games on the latest computers based on Intel and Apple Silicon processors. While UTM has previously posted screenshots of iOS and iPadOS versions on its website, UTM developers have now given notice that they will withdraw from this work until Apple changes its position - which doesn't seem to happen in the near future.
Game emulators
Users who wanted to play games from other devices had to search for an emulation program in alternative repositories. Once installed, they also had to find or create their own copies of ROM or ROM files for console games, or get unlicensed versions of the OS platforms they needed to emulate, as well as a copy of the original game software.
In April 2024, Apple finally changed its stance on game emulators, allowing them to be published in the App Store, and not just in the EU, where there was a precedent. However, as expected, this change will not bring much joy to gamers, as it will most likely not affect the availability of popular games and will not improve their overall gaming experience.
According to Apple, emulators must comply with all privacy rules, including the collection, use and exchange of data, as well as have mechanisms for filtering unwanted content, responding to problems in a timely manner, the ability to block users and offer digital goods for sale inside the app. In addition, the statement emphasizes that emulators with pirated games are prohibited and will be removed from the App Store. In fact, the main innovation will be the ability to download emulation programs without jailbreaking.
Apple also clarified that mini-games and mini-apps inside large apps should use HTML5. In addition, in response to a request from the European Commission (EC), Apple promised to allow music streaming apps to include internal links that redirect to external resources to pay for content.
