Apple approves first PC emulator for iOS

Apple has approved the launch of the UTM SE emulator on iOS, iPadOS and visionOS, which allows you to run classic software and PC games on iPhone, iPad and Vision Pro. This decision was made several weeks after the initial refusal of approval due to some shortcomings of UTM SE, The Verge reports.

Image source: Miguel Tomás/Unsplash

In June, when Apple refused to approve the app, the developer said it would not continue trying because the app provided a “substandard user experience.” Today, however, UTM credited the team at AltStore, an alternative app store for the iOS mobile operating system, for their assistance and acknowledged the contribution of another developer “whose implementation of QEMU TCTI played a key role in the creation of this JIT-free version.”

Like other emulators, UTM SE provides minimal features immediately after installation. The application does not come with an operating system, but does include a link to the UTM website, where you can find all the necessary guidance on emulating Windows, from the XP version to the latest 11th version, as well as pre-built Linux virtual machines. One of the screenshots of the UTM SE page in the App Store also mentions Mac OS 9.2.1 and DOS.

Image source: UTM SE

According to the App Store description, UTM SE is a PC emulator that allows you to run classic Windows software and games. The application supports both VGA mode for graphics and terminal mode for text input of commands. UTM SE emulates x86, PPC and RISC-V architectures, allowing you to run pre-built machines or create your own configurations from scratch. The application is based on QEMU, a powerful and widely used open source emulator for emulating hardware of various platforms. It is reported that the emulator will be available only for EU countries for now.