Popular Wii and GameCube emulator DolphiniOS will likely skip and official launch on iOS. The app is available on iPhone through “other means” including jailbreaking and app developer signing. Both methods of obtaining the app require quite a bit of effort and the latter usually comes with a premium charge.
With the uptake of gaming emulators on iOS, one being Delta that launched last week, users have wondered if DolphiniOS will head to the platform too. Sadly at this current state, Apple won’t approve the app.
According to the app’s developer OatmealDome, DolphiniOS uses something called Just-in-Time”, also known as JIT. It is a compiler that translates the GameCube and Wii’s PowerPC-based code into a language other devices can understand. Essentially, making it easy to port the emulator to other platforms without many hiccups.
Apple’s Terms of Sevice says that third-party apps using JIT compilers aren’t allowed on iOS. There are a few exceptions to this rule, however. Only Safar and alternate web browsers are allowed to use JIT due to their worldwide nature.
This means DolphiniOS won’t be passing Apple’s strict terms any time soon. OatmealDome says the developer did submit a build to Apple a few weeks back only for the company to deny the request to publish the app on the App Store.
The developer says there are other means to build the DolphiniOS emulator without JIT interpreter but it will greatly affect the performance of the games. He shared a video comparing the different between a JIT game and one without running with the code.
You can see from the video that the game is unplayable at 13FPS. We don’t know if Apple will loosen its grip on JIT interpreters for the sake of these emulators. If there the company gets enough requests then perhaps it would be something they would look into. However, for now, emulators that use the translation method just won’t be approved on the App Store.
