Retro Game Emulators Debut on iPhone's App Store

Apple has updated its App Store Review Guidelines to permit game emulators, a significant shift from its previous stance which effectively prohibited such apps. This change, specifically to guideline 4.7, allows "retro game console emulator apps" to be listed on the App Store, provided they adhere to certain conditions, such as filtering objectionable content, respecting privacy guidelines, and not sharing data improperly.

Among the first emulators to appear on the App Store are iGBA, for Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance games, and Emu64 XL for Commodore 64 titles. These apps enable users to load ROMs through the Files app on iOS and iPadOS devices. While iGBA is free to download and has seen positive initial feedback, it does include ads. Users must own the original ROM files to play games legally, and while the emulators themselves are within Apple's rules, the ROMs may contain copyrighted material, an area that has historically been legally complex.

The release of these emulators is a notable development for Apple's App Store, which operates under strict guidelines enforced by Apple. It remains to be seen how the company will manage the presence of these apps and enforce compliance with its guidelines.