Why isn't the GameCube and Wii emulator 'DolphiniOS' available on the App Store, where retro game console emulator apps are allowed?
In April 2024, the App Store's app review guidelines were updated, allowing
Why Dolphin Isn't Coming to the App Store - oatmealdome.me
https://oatmealdome.me/blog/why-dolphin-isnt-coming-to-the-app-store/
DolphiniOS explains why GameCube and Wii emulator won't be in the App Store - 9to5Mac
DolphiniOS is an iOS emulator project forked from Dolphin , a Nintendo GameCube and Wii emulator for Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android, and the first version was released in December 2019.
DolphiniOS release - oatmealdome.me
https://oatmealdome.me/blog/dolphinios-release/
At the time of writing, the latest stable version is Version 3.2.0 , released in May 2022, and the latest beta version is Version 4.0.0 beta 7, released in January 2024.
DolphiniOS ver. 4.0.0 beta 7 - oatmealdome.me
https://oatmealdome.me/blog/dolphinios-ver-4-0-0-beta-7/
Since DolphiniOS is an app for iOS and iPadOS, it should have been available for distribution on the App Store from April 2024 onwards. In fact, there have been many inquiries asking, 'Aren't you going to distribute it on the App Store?' OatmealDome responded, 'Unfortunately, no.'
The reason for this is that Apple does not allow the use of JIT.
To play GameCube or Wii games on an iPhone or iPad, the game code needs to be converted from PowerPC to ARM because the CPUs installed in the GameCube and Wii are PowerPC-based. Dophin and DolphiniOS use a JIT compiler to convert PowerPC code to ARM.
However, Apple only allows the use of the JIT compiler on iOS for Safari and alternative browsers in the EU.
OatmealDome submitted a DMA interoperability request to Apple for JIT support, but it was rejected a few weeks ago.
The reason for the rejection is unclear, with OatmealDome saying Apple may be concerned about security risks.
According to OalmealDome, it is possible to run Dolphin and DolphiniOS without using the JIT compiler, but the execution speed will be slower.
Below is an example video, where with JIT the game can be played normally and there is no discomfort.
DolphiniOS with JIT Enabled - YouTube
But if you run the PowerPC code without the JIT and instead use an interpreter, you'll notice that the sound skips, the game runs slower, and it's no longer playable. Even the iPhone 15 Pro Max is in this state.
DolphiniOS without JIT (using Interpreter) - YouTube
OalmealDome said that while it would be possible to register and publish a version of DolphiniOS without JIT in the App Store, he believes that users would be inundated with complaints about performance, so while he is open to distributing it on the App Store, he believes that it will be difficult unless Apple relaxes its restrictions on JIT.
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