Your classic Windows games can now run on iPhones & iPads

The first PC emulator for iOS has just arrived finally. Apple has now greenlit UTM SE, a PC emulator, and has approved it on the App Store for iOS, iPadOS, and visionOS. You can emulate classic Windows games, like the good ol’ 3D Pinball from Windows XP, as well as apps from macOS 9 and Linux on your iPhones and iPads.

“UTM SE is a PC emulator that allows you to run classic software and old-school games,” the app’s description reads.

UTM SE, built from QEMU, supports various architectures, like x86, PPC, and RISC-V, and offers options to create or use pre-built virtual machines.

Apple has a long-standing back-and-forth history for PC emulators on their iOS/iPadOS devices. Earlier this year, the Cupertino tech giant said no to emulators because they violated App Review Guidelines, which only allow for retro game console emulators.

At that time, it rejected two PC emulators, iDOS 3 and UTM SE, for violating guideline 4.7, which only allows retro game console emulators on iOS.

As for UTM SE, Apple initially rejected the emulator as it used a Just-In-Time (JIT) complication, which Apple sees as risky for security. Devs have now found a workaround using Qemu TCTI, allowing UTM SE to emulate old systems like the i486 and PowerPC on newer Apple devices, although it runs slower than it would on the original.

Back in April, Apple updated its App Store guidelines to allow emulators. Basically, the new regulation now allows game emulators and permits music streaming apps like Spotify to redirect users to external websites for purchases, addressing concerns raised by EU regulators about anti-competitive practices. This follows a €1.8 billion fine imposed on Apple by the EU for abusing its market dominance.