Apple approves iDOS 3 after changing emulator rules

Apple recently rejected the DOS emulator iDOS 3 from the App Store, but following App Store rule changes that appear to have paved the way for PC emulator apps, iDOS 3 is now available for download, developer Chaoji Li announced.

In June, Li said Apple rejected iDOS 3 because it violated the App Store guideline 4.7. At the time, this rule was what allowed retro game console emulator apps to appear in the store, but Apple was just allowing retro game console emulators under the rule – not PC emulators; UTM SE, another PC emulator app, also said it was rejected for violating the rule.

But in July, Apple reversed course and approved UTM SE, and earlier this month added the words “PC emulator” to the 4.7 guideline, which is apparently why iDOS 3 has now been allowed on the App Store. Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Even though iDOS 3 has been approved, Li is still wary of Apple. “It has been a long wait for common sense to prevail at Apple,” Li wrote in a blog post. “As much as I want to celebrate, I still can’t help but be a little cautious about the future. Are we okay from now on? (Li may also be wary after Apple’s decision to remove iDOS 2 in 2021.)