Credit: Robert Triggs / Android Authority
- Apple’s app review team has rejected a PC emulator because Windows computers technically do not meet the retro game console criteria.
- Beyond banning it from its own marketplace, Apple has also refused to notarize the PC emulator for third-party app store compatibility.
- This raises concerns over Apple’s control and how iOS app developers can’t necessarily resort to third-party app stores to circumvent the company’s unforgiving guidelines.
Through a recent iOS update, Apple unlocked third-party app stores in the EU to comply with the Digital Markets Act (DMA). This has enabled developers to upload apps that don’t necessarily comply with Apple’s strict App Store guidelines to these third-party digital storefronts. Apple, however, still needs to notarize submitted apps to ensure that they pose no risk to iOS or its users. Shockingly, Apple has blocked harmless PC emulator apps from reaching its storefront and won’t notarize them for third-party app store distribution, either.