UTM PC emulator is now on iOS and visionOS App Stores, bringing virtual machines to iPhone

UTM PC Emulator is now available on iOS and visionOS, allowing users to run classic software and games through virtual machines on iPhone. Apple has reversed its previous decision from last month, where UTM developers faced rejection from Apple when they initially submitted the emulator, with Apple arguing that "PC is not a console" and citing a violation of rule 4.7, which covers "mini apps, mini-games, streaming games, chatbots, plug-ins and game emulators." This rule was not annotated in the Notarization Review Guidelines, adding to the confusion.

With this policy change, iPhone and iPad users can now download UTM directly from the Apple App Store, enabling them to emulate old versions of Windows OS, macOS, and more. UTM becomes another popular emulator allowed by Apple, following the company's decision to allow third-party emulators on the App Store. Other emulators, like Delta Emulator, have also appeared on the App Store after this policy change.

UTM announced on social media platform X that UTM SE is available for free on iOS and visionOS App Stores, with plans to come to AltStore PAL soon. The developers thanked the AltStore team for their help and Apple for reconsidering their policy. However, Apple has not provided an official explanation for the decision reversal.