Apple’s walled garden looks pretty but has limitations, with the company keeping a close eye on what kind of apps iPhone users can download. For years, the App Store guidelines have prohibited developers from offering retro game emulators. But in a surprising move, Apple updated the guidelines earlier this month to allow retro game emulators on the App Store, thanks to the EU’s Digital Markets Act and to avoid further regulatory scrutiny. This has now paved the way for an official Apple-approved game emulator to go live on the App Store.
I tested Apple’s EU-only iOS 17.4, and it doesn’t feel any closer to Android (yet)
The EU forced Apple to open up its platform, but there isn’t much to see right now
Developed by Riley Testut, Delta enables game emulation from iconic Nintendo consoles like SNES, Nintendo 64, and Nintendo DS. The developer markets Delta as the spiritual successor to GBA4iOS, a popular Game Boy Advance emulator from the iPhone X era. It’s not a new emulator, though, as it has been around for years. Until now, you could only install Delta from AltStore, an alternative App Store that you had to sideload on your iPhone manually.
Delta is not the first retro game boy emulator to hit the App Store after iOS 17.4’s release. There were two before but were taken down soon after their listing went live.
Delta supports all popular game controllers that work with the iPhone, including the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox One Series S. You can customize the button layout and set custom actions as required.
There’s seemingly a catch with Apple allowing game emulators on the App Store though. Reading between the lines of Apple’s terms and conditions, somedevelopers claim Apple’s new App Store guidelines only allow for game emulators, with no clarity on how to upload the ROMs of games you already own. This would effectively make game emulators on iPhones useless. After all, what will you do with an emulator if you cannot load games to emulate? This limitation could ensure that Android remains the platform of choice for retro game emulation.
You candownload Delta for freefrom the App Store in most parts of the world, barring the EU. In Europe, you must download the game emulator from AltStore PAL, an alternative App Store for iPhone users in the EU, which went live today, too.
AltStore PAL is the first alternative app marketplace for iPhone
AltStore PAL is also made by developer Riley Testut, with Shane Gill handling the operations. It is an open-source app that will allow other developers to distribute their apps to EU iPhone users outside the App Store.
As of now, there are only two apps in the AltStore PAL, both of which Riley himself created: Delta and Clip. The latter is a clipboard manager, an app category that Apple does not allow on the App Store.
The Vergenotes that installing AltStore PAL on your iPhone requires going through a lot of terms and conditions from Apple, and you will have to triple-confirm your action in some cases. AltStore PAL is not free to use. There’s a yearly subscription fee of €1.50 (+ taxes) to help the developers cover Apple’s Core Technology Fee (CTF). Considering the developer will have to pay Apple €0.50 for every app download, this is a reasonable fee.
AltStore PAL has been made possible by Apple’s compliance with the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which enables third-party app stores and sideloading on the iPhone in the EU.
Once the store is running smoothly, developers can submit apps to AltStore PAL for free. Unlike the App Store, developers on AltStore PAL can use Patreon donations instead of paid apps. This could help them generate a steady source of revenue from their hardcore users.
If you are an iPRiley’sp developer, go throughRiley’s full announcementabout AltStore PAL to learn more about the alternative app marketplace.
