TouchHLE

Last updated
touchHLE
Original author hikari_no_yume
Developers hikari_no_yume and 12 others
Stable release
0.2.2 [1]
Repository https://github.com/touchHLE/touchHLE
Written in Rust
Operating system Android, macOS, Microsoft Windows
License Mozilla Public License 2.0
Website https://touchhle.org/

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 0.2.2 it supports a handful of games.

touchHLE was first released in February 2023 where it was able to run Super Monkey Ball , [6] [7] a launch title for the App Store in 2008 which was at the time considered lost media due to it being incompatible with newer iOS versions. [8] [9] 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, [10] [11] 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. [12] [13] [14]

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. [15] 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 [15] 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. [16]

References

  1. ↑ "Release v0.2.2: (Not) An April Fool's Joke Latest · touchHLE/touchHLE". GitHub . 2024-04-01. Retrieved 2025-02-28.
  2. ↑ "touchHLE" . Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  3. ↑ "光の夢〜hikari's dream〜dream of light" . Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  4. ↑ "TouchHLE Emulator Lets You Play Old iPhone Games On Mac And PC - iOS Hacker". 11 March 2023. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  5. ↑ "DOOM On IPhone OS, On Android - Hackaday". 25 July 2023. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  6. ↑ "Release v0.1.0: First release! · hikari-no-yume/touchHLE". GitHub . Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  7. ↑ "Review: Super Monkey Ball for iPhone - Macworld" . Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  8. ↑ Wallace, Anthony (February 3, 2023). "Enthusiast Creates Advanced iOS Emulator To Revive Obsolete Super Monkey Ball Game". Retro Dodo. Retrieved 2025-12-21.
  9. ↑ "The forgotten Super Monkey Ball game that launched the iPhone app store has been preserved with a new emulator - GamesRadar+". 10 February 2023. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  10. ↑ "Doom II RPG - Apps - touchHLE app compatibility database". www.touchhle.org. Retrieved 2023-11-01.
  11. ↑ "TouchHLE: High-level emulator for iPhone OS apps". GitHub .
  12. ↑ Espósito, Filipe (24 April 2023). "Developer ports iOS emulator to Android, but you shouldn't get excited about it". 9to5Mac.
  13. ↑ "High-level iOS emulator touchHLE runs on Windows and Mac, aims to preserve old iOS gaming apps". 6 February 2023.
  14. ↑ Williams, Elliot (July 25, 2023). "DOOM On IPhone OS, On Android". Hackaday. Retrieved 2025-12-21.
  15. 1 2 "touchHLE is a new emulator for iPhone OS apps". GamingOnLinux. February 6, 2023. Retrieved 2025-12-21.
  16. ↑ "touchHLE FAQ (frequently asked questions)". touchhle.org. Retrieved 2025-12-21.
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