Apple Changes Policy, Allowing PC Emulator UTM SE in App Store for iOS and VisionOS

Tim Hardwick, reporting for MacRumors:

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. [...]

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.

Not sure what changed since last month, when Apple not only rejected UTM SE from the App Store but also from notarization for distribution on third-party marketplaces in the EU (and, perhaps soon, Japan).

In other emulation-on-iOS news, Delta 1.6 now fully supports iPadOS.

★ Monday, 15 July 2024