- Apple has altered app guidelines on the App Store, allowing console emulators for the first time.
- Although this is due to pressure from the EU for anti-competition issues, the policy change is global.
- Android has had console emulation since basically the beginning.
A lot of things separate iPhones from Android phones. One of the more prominent differences is their respective app stores: the Apple App Store is closed tighter than a drum, while the Google Play Store is much more open. Thanks to the latter’s open doors, Android users have enjoyed console emulation since the platform’s beginnings. Some of the very first Android apps were actually Nintendo emulators.
Today, though, Apple has changed its App Store policies and will allow emulators in the store (h/t 9to5Mac). This means, for the first time ever, iPhone users can visit the App Store and download an emulator without jumping through any hoops. Previously, they have needed to jailbreak an iPhone and then sideload emulators or rely on shady apps that skirt Apple’s vetting process and hide an emulator inside.