Apple opens App Store to older game emulators

Apple is relaxing its App Store restrictions and opening up the market to older game emulators. inside Updated Friday, Apple announced that game emulators worldwide will be able to access the App Store and offer downloadable games. Apple says these games must comply with “all applicable laws” and notes that it will ban apps that offer pirated content.

The move was intended to bring older console emulators that already exist on Android — at least those that remain — to the iPhone. Game emulators have been banned from iOS for a long time, with iPhone owners looking for solutions through jailbreaks or other workarounds. This is by far one of the main reasons that iPhone owners in the European Union can now access third-party app stores as they are allowed in the region. Today’s change from Apple could do that.

Apart from the new rules for emulators, Apple has also updated its rules for super apps like WeChat It now states that mini-games and widgets in these apps must use HTML5 and clarifies that they cannot be native apps and games.

Outside the US, Apple appears to be responding to pressure from the European Commission. In another rule update today, the company announced that it will now allow music streaming apps in the EU to include in-app links that direct users to third-party purchases and reference pricing information. It would also allow developers to “prompt users to provide their email address to explicitly send a link to the developer’s website to purchase digital music content or services.”

After the commission called Apple’s anti-routing rules “illegal,” Spotify tried to update its app with links to its website to buy subscriptions, but didn’t get approval from Apple for weeks. Spotify is still unhappy with Apple’s latest change as Apple still plans to charge a commission for purchases made through external links, although EU Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said Apple should allow music streaming apps to enable communication with users “for free”.

“Complying with the law is not optional, but Apple continues to challenge this decision,” Spotify spokeswoman Jane Moran said. edges. “From April 6, the commission can initiate proceedings for non-compliance and impose daily fines. It is time to take decisive action to give consumers real choice once and for all.