Apple Reconsiders its Approval of Open-Source Emulator App for iOS

If I got a dime each time Apple did something to gatekeep their ecosystem, I would've been a wealthy man by now 😁

Just a month or so ago, they had decided to block the publishing of an open-source emulator app for iOS, without providing any clarity over what the issue was.

Even the developers gave up, citing that UTM SE was a “subpar experience and isn't worth fighting for”, and unless Apple changed their stance, they wouldn't invest any additional time/effort into it.

But, in a surprise move, Apple has gone back on the initial gatekeeping-fueled decision, which is unusual to see.

Apple Warms Up To UTM SE: What Gives?

We are happy to announce that UTM SE is available (for free) on iOS and visionOS App Store (and coming soon to AltStore PAL)!

Shoutouts to AltStore team for their help and to Apple for reconsidering their policy.https://t.co/HAV5JnT5GO
— UTM (@UTMapp) July 13, 2024

Over the weekend, UTM announced that UTM SE was now available for iOS and visionOS, and that the AltStore team helped them out, with a thanks to Apple for revisiting their policy.

If you are not familiar, UTM SE is the less powerful version of UTM, an emulator/virtual machine host for Apple devices that allows users to run different operating systems on their machines.

Some key features include:

Based on QEMU
Custom Configs for Machines
Support for emulating x86, RISC-V, and PPC.
VGA Mode for Graphics & Terminal Mode for Text-Only

Having said that, the emulation experience for old operating systems with this should be decent, but, don't expect anything extraordinary like running a modern Linux distro such as Ubuntu or Fedora in their full glory, with usable performance.

That is thanks to the lack of JIT support, which Apple still closely guards, keeping it locked up, citing “security reasons”. Here's the catch, though, Android has had that support for ages now.

Naturally, the Sherlock Holmes in me thinks that Apple just doesn't want to be caught lacking, trying to skirt their way around the Digital Markets Act (DMA). Take the battle between them and Epic Games, which has seen them finally approve the Epic Games store app for iOS in Europe, after they rejected it twice.

I still think that Apple doesn't really learn until it is forced to. 😆

📥 Get UTM SE

For now, those who are interested in trying UTM SE out can get it from the App Store, where it has been made available for the iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision.

UTM SE (App Store)

The developers have also mentioned that UTM SE will be arriving at AltStore PAL very soon (as mentioned in the tweet above). It is a store geared towards European users, which is open-source and decentralized in nature.

💬 What do you think of Apple's decision? Are they trying to avoid a compliance issue with DMA?

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