Just seven days after Apple relaxed the rules regarding game emulation apps in its App Store, the first software to take full advantage of them has appeared

As Apple Insider discovered, the first two apps are Emu64 XL for Commodore 64 games and iGBA for Game Boy Advance and Game Boy Color titles

When Apple tweaked its rules last week, it was clear that copyright still very much applied, even though emulators are now allowed

"You are responsible for all such software provided in your app, including ensuring that such software complies with these Guidelines and all applicable laws Software that does not comply with one or more of the Guidelines will result in rejection of your app"

"Any software that does not comply with one or more of the Guidelines will result in rejection of your app

Thus, neither emulator comes with games, with Emu64 XL requiring players to "load T64 and D64 files as old floppy disks," while iGBA requires players to procure games via the Files app

This means that the app runs comfortably within the rules as written It is the ROM that may contain copyrighted software, not the emulator, after all

Nevertheless, since the App Store is a closed store and enforcement of the rules is left solely to Apple, it was not yet clear whether the company would decide to block such apps anyway, without explaining its workings

One theory was that the rule change would only allow copyright holders to create their own emulation apps (imagine Sega, Sony, or Nintendo creating retro arcades of classic games), but the appearance of these two third-party apps is a sign that Apple is more indicating that it intends to take a hands-off approach - at least at first

In other words, at least for now, emulators on the iPhone work much the same way they do on Android, Windows, and Mac However, with nearly half of Americans using iPhones, protective copyright holders may show an active interest in getting Apple to change its policy in the coming months