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touchHLE

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touchHLE
Original authorshikari_no_yume, ciciplusplus
Developershikari_no_yume and 25 others
Stable release
0.3.0[1]
Written inRust
Operating systemAndroid, macOS, Microsoft Windows
LicenseMozilla Public License 2.0
Websitehttps://touchhle.org/
Repositoryhttps://github.com/touchHLE/touchHLE

touchHLE is a free and open-source emulator for iOS applications, originally developed by an anonymous programmer going by the pseudonym hikari_no_yume.[2][3] It is written in Rust to work specifically with games developed for older iOS versions,[4][5] and as of version 0.3.0 it supports circa 500 games up until iOS 4.0, including iPad versions.[6]

touchHLE was first released in February 2023 where it was able to run Super Monkey Ball,[7][8] a launch title for the App Store in 2008 which was at the time considered "long lost" due to it being incompatible with newer iOS versions.[9][10] Support for other games, such as the Lite version of Super Monkey Ball, Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 3D and Touch & Go was added in later builds,[11][12] and the emulator was ported to Android after a pull request was issued to add support for it, allowing Android devices to run legacy iOS games.[13][14][15]

The emulator makes use of high-level emulation where touchHLE itself takes the place of iOS and provides its own implementations of operating system frameworks, thus avoiding any dependency on copyrighted Apple firmware and libraries; the only code executed by the emulated CPU is the app binary and open-source libraries from Apple.[16] hikari_no_yume also stated that they do not plan on supporting newer versions of iOS both on a technical and philosophical standpoint, citing the complexity of implementing 64-bit iOS apps and system libraries[16] and changing trends in the mobile app ecosystem where the emergence of free-to-play games brought about concerns regarding the perceived decline in quality of mobile games.[17]

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ "v0.3.0: iOS 4.0 and iPad support". GitHub. October 1, 2026. Retrieved October 1, 2026.
  2. ↑ "touchHLE". Retrieved October 30, 2023.
  3. ↑ "光の夢〜hikari's dream〜dream of light". Retrieved October 30, 2023.
  4. ↑ "TouchHLE Emulator Lets You Play Old iPhone Games On Mac And PC - iOS Hacker". March 11, 2023. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
  5. ↑ "DOOM On IPhone OS, On Android - Hackaday". July 25, 2023. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
  6. ↑ "touchHLE app compatibility database". Retrieved October 1, 2026.
  7. ↑ "Release v0.1.0: First release! · hikari-no-yume/touchHLE". GitHub. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
  8. ↑ "Review: Super Monkey Ball for iPhone - Macworld". Retrieved October 30, 2023.
  9. ↑ Wallace, Anthony (February 3, 2023). "Enthusiast Creates Advanced iOS Emulator To Revive Obsolete Super Monkey Ball Game". Retro Dodo. Retrieved December 21, 2025. TouchHLE not only allows Hikari to play the long lost Super Monkey Ball game, but it opens up the possibility for any obsolete game from the 32-bit era of iOS.
  10. ↑ "The forgotten Super Monkey Ball game that launched the iPhone app store has been preserved with a new emulator - GamesRadar+". February 10, 2023. Retrieved October 30, 2023. touchHLE is starting to save the games lost in the iPhone's app-pocalypse
  11. ↑ "Doom II RPG - Apps - touchHLE app compatibility database". www.touchhle.org. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
  12. ↑ "TouchHLE: High-level emulator for iPhone OS apps". GitHub.
  13. ↑ Espósito, Filipe (April 24, 2023). "Developer ports iOS emulator to Android, but you shouldn't get excited about it". 9to5Mac.
  14. ↑ "High-level iOS emulator touchHLE runs on Windows and Mac, aims to preserve old iOS gaming apps". February 6, 2023.
  15. ↑ Williams, Elliot (July 25, 2023). "DOOM On IPhone OS, On Android". Hackaday. Retrieved December 21, 2025.
  16. 1 2 "touchHLE is a new emulator for iPhone OS apps". GamingOnLinux. February 6, 2023. Retrieved December 21, 2025.
  17. ↑ "touchHLE FAQ (frequently asked questions)". touchhle.org. Retrieved December 21, 2025.
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