Apple to Pull ‘iDOS 2’ DOS Emulator From App Store

iDOS 2, an app designed to allow users to play classic DOS games, will soon be pulled from the App Store, the app’s creator said today.

According to iDOS developer Chaoji Li, he tried to submit an iDOS update with bug fixes to the ‌App Store‌, but was told that the update was rejected because it violated the 2.5.2 ‌App Store‌ guideline that says apps cannot install or launch executable code.

During review, your app installed or launched executable code, which is not permitted on the App Store.

Specifically, your app executes iDOS package and image files and allows iTunes File Sharing and Files support for importing games. Executing code can introduce or changes features or functionality of the app and allows for downloading of content without licensing.

Please note that while educational apps designed to teach, develop, or allow students to test executable code may, in limited circumstances, download code, such code may not be used for other purposes and such apps must make the source code completely viewable and editable by the user.

Apple’s ‌App Store‌ team has given Li 14 days to submit an update removing the offending functionality, or the app will be removed from the ‌App Store‌.

iDOS 2 has been available in the ‌App Store‌ since 2014, and its predecessor, iDOS, was first released in 2010. iDOS has had issues with Apple before, and in 2010, Apple pulled the original emulator app from the ‌App Store‌. Changes were made, and the app was allowed back in the ‌App Store‌ in 2011, but there have still been ongoing troubles with Apple.

iDOS 2 went four years without an update because of Apple’s restrictions on iTunes file sharing and bundling game files without ownership, but in 2020, Li implemented document storage and was able to once again update the app.

Since 2020, iDOS has been able to run games and programs accessed through file sharing, which Apple now says is not allowed. Li says that he never aimed to trick or fool reviewers, and instead made it clear with each update how the app worked.

Li says that he is not going to cut the critical functions of the iDOS 2 app to comply with Apple’s ‌App Store‌ rules, because it would be a betrayal of users who purchased the app for those features.

iDOS 2 is still available for purchase at the current time, but Apple may soon be pulling it from the ‌App Store‌.