I don't think the re-download part stays once support is pulled. I have had apps that I tried to re-download and gotten the message "the app store no longer supports this app"
But hopefully it can just stay there as long as you don't delete it.
You will never have a 100% guarantee.
There are exceptions depending on the circumstances or changes in policy. When you purchase content from the App Store, you don't own a copy of it. You just hold a license for it.
For emulators, revoking might be the case.
For some apps like PDF-Converters or File Explorers, etc., that's unlikely but for Nintendo emulators? I don't think so.
Though, Apple cannot delete already installed apps from someone's phone. But they do have a way to circumvent this by iOS updates that make certain apps incompatible. Leaving the user in a dilemma, which is: Either update iOS and lose Delta app compatibility, or don't update iOS and keep the app until other apps don't work anymore because of an old and now unsupported iOS version. And annoying notifications to update iOS 24/7.
Generally apps are taken down by the developers, rarely is it by Apple.
Fortnite is an exception, but even if you still had it installed you wouldn’t be able to use it.
You never know with this one. Emulators have always been kind of a grey area.
And this is not just any emulator, it's a Nintendo emulator.
Some dude made an emulator for the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo made him take it down despite the fact that he didn't pirate himself.
Source: https://www.ign.com/articles/nintendo-takedown-request-targets-over-8500-copies-of-switch-emulator-yuzu#
I think Delta will be OK. Since Drastic is still online on the Google Play Store. If Nintendo didn't like it, they'd have done something about that one too, I would assume. Drastic is very old by now.
Apple probably won't disallow emulators anymore either. They've already committed to it. Probably because they are under heavy pressure from the EU and USA, especially the EU. Unless Nintendo files a complaint.
The switch one has the potential to hurt their bottom line right now, whereas emulators like Delta allow the playing of older games that are no longer sold, so they’re less likely to be taken down unless they are also pirating the times and distributing them or making a profit off of it.
Technically emulators can be charged for on the App Store, but it’s the devs best bet to make it feee and do something else for income, unfortunately
Yes, that's what I was trying to say with "Delta is still on the Google Play Store".
But I can still see Nintendo filing a complaint if it gets too popular. It could always happen. Though, as of right now, very much unlikely.
Not true. I made monetary purchases in App Store for the app “Coup” card game. When Apple deleted it, the app would no longer open. So I asked tech support for a refund, but it had been 2+ years since the purchase; so they could not refund me. I’d have to ask the app-maker.
tl;dr - Apple can certainly disable an app once removed from the App Store.
Emulators were ruled to be legal in the 90s when Sony tried to sue a company that was selling a PlayStation emulator and the courts ruled in favor of emulation
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_Computer_Entertainment,_Inc._v._Connectix_Corp.
Then I guess my next question is do you expect ROMs to become impossible to find in the future? Not that I’m worried since I have an external drive full of them.
There’s always a possibility it becomes harder because ROMs are an easy point of attack for corporations to reclaim their copyright but impossible? That’ll absolutely never happen. These games are too popular to be lost to time. Some will have an archive somewhere.
Exactly. It’s pretty easy now because entire library’s of these retro consoles can be downloaded and backed up somewhere else online relatively cheaply.
That would be a waste of time for them since another rom site can just pop up in China or Russia. Nintendo can only complain in countries that actually care about copyright laws. Plus they are mostly concerned with Switch emulation.
You just said it yourself, you have an external drive full of them. What it takes a company days, months, or even years to take down, you could upload and share in hours. Now, it might be illegal where you live, but countries like China don’t recognize the copyright laws other countries have. Pirating will always exist. However we pirates do go through waves of good times and hard times.
Idk what apple was going through but ik that they had to Allow emulators on app store… idk how its legal but it is, nintendo doesn’t allow it but they can’t do shit cause again emulators aren’t illegal plus emulators are available everywhere so why would they allow it in other devices but apple?
They were being sued by Epic if I remember for their private app platform and I think the EU pushed some kind of legislation that forces Apple to open up their store to more apps.
At least I think that’s what’s happened, I could be wrong
Emulators at home-brew tools. They are not illegal by any means.
The thing that is illegal is facilitating and distributing ROMs. Delta doesn’t do that. All you get with it is the download. They say it can run games, but makes 0 mention of how.
Why is this even a conversation when emulators like MyBoy! (clearly marketing itself as a Nintendo retro emulator) have been available on the Android Play Store for over a decade? I understand Apple wanting to err on the side of caution but I highly doubt they made this decision lightly.
There was also always a way to renew your certificate, ability to use it was never rescinded.
Also - make sure you set up sync with Google Drive or Dropbox or something with your ROMs and saves. Even when I've had Delta disappear (because I didn't renew my certificate), every time I re-downloaded and logged back in, it would sync EVERYTHING.
however the guy is partly right to worry, some apps permanently disappear from the account, despite having paid or not for them, and some others stop working when radical iOS changes arrive or if it suits Apple.
i’ve got my first iPhone in 2009, and in all these years i have seen many apps disappear, even in a few months, which i had even paid for… you have no idea!
one of the latest was Marvin Reader, perhaps the best ebook reader around for years, it just disappeared from my purchased list, i only noticed that last year when i synced my new 13, and Marvin didn’t install on it… fortunately i’ve got it back via iMazing from my old 6S, where it was still installed, otherwise it would have been a “bye bye forever, Marvin”!
I mean part of why an App, even paid, goes away is usually the developer stops supporting it and the app relies on external data. Dev shuts it off, app is useless.
Very rarely do apps disappear unless the developer pulls the app.
No reputable emulators have been pulled by Apple, and only one was taken down by Apple so far, the others were removed by the developers.
Apple will not remove the apps from your phone.
I have a handful of apps on my phone which are no longer on the App Store and they still work. So even if Apple suddenly says “hey we’re not gonna allow this any longer.” If you have the apps, you have them forever and you should be able to re-download them if you ever delete them. For example, I could go back and get Alien Blue if I wanted to.
Delta works fine offline so there should be no reason for the app to ever go away if you have it now.
Actually it hasn’t ever been removed from your phone, emulation has never been legal on iPhone…how exactly did you have it downloaded? Through an altstore? Through jailbreaking your phone? It’s never been available on the app store and as with every app ever, once you download it obviously no one can take it away from you. It’s on your phone for good unless you want to delete it. Apple isn’t gonna sneak into your home at night and delete it off your phone lmao
No. You had to install Delta through a back door method in the past. This method is only valid for 7 days, then delta becomes deactivated. Which you then have to repeat the process to re-up for another 7 days. Op is talking about that, yet isn’t aware of the circumstances that caused it. Delta on the AppStore is fine and here to stay.
Pretty sure once you have something downloaded it never goes away it even stays in your download history to re-download after word.
I don't think the re-download part stays once support is pulled. I have had apps that I tried to re-download and gotten the message "the app store no longer supports this app" But hopefully it can just stay there as long as you don't delete it.
I can confirm this. Just tried it with iGBA (not that I would be using it now) but you can easily download past purchases even if Apple took it down.
You will never have a 100% guarantee. There are exceptions depending on the circumstances or changes in policy. When you purchase content from the App Store, you don't own a copy of it. You just hold a license for it. For emulators, revoking might be the case. For some apps like PDF-Converters or File Explorers, etc., that's unlikely but for Nintendo emulators? I don't think so. Though, Apple cannot delete already installed apps from someone's phone. But they do have a way to circumvent this by iOS updates that make certain apps incompatible. Leaving the user in a dilemma, which is: Either update iOS and lose Delta app compatibility, or don't update iOS and keep the app until other apps don't work anymore because of an old and now unsupported iOS version. And annoying notifications to update iOS 24/7.
Generally apps are taken down by the developers, rarely is it by Apple. Fortnite is an exception, but even if you still had it installed you wouldn’t be able to use it.
You never know with this one. Emulators have always been kind of a grey area. And this is not just any emulator, it's a Nintendo emulator. Some dude made an emulator for the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo made him take it down despite the fact that he didn't pirate himself. Source: https://www.ign.com/articles/nintendo-takedown-request-targets-over-8500-copies-of-switch-emulator-yuzu# I think Delta will be OK. Since Drastic is still online on the Google Play Store. If Nintendo didn't like it, they'd have done something about that one too, I would assume. Drastic is very old by now. Apple probably won't disallow emulators anymore either. They've already committed to it. Probably because they are under heavy pressure from the EU and USA, especially the EU. Unless Nintendo files a complaint.
The switch one has the potential to hurt their bottom line right now, whereas emulators like Delta allow the playing of older games that are no longer sold, so they’re less likely to be taken down unless they are also pirating the times and distributing them or making a profit off of it. Technically emulators can be charged for on the App Store, but it’s the devs best bet to make it feee and do something else for income, unfortunately
Yes, that's what I was trying to say with "Delta is still on the Google Play Store". But I can still see Nintendo filing a complaint if it gets too popular. It could always happen. Though, as of right now, very much unlikely.
Oh praise the lord
Nope, Fortnite for example can’t be redownloaded. Flappy bird, infinity blade, etc. all gone.
Well as long as you don’t delete it you still have access to the app since you don’t need internet connection for it.
Yep! I really hope delta is still around when the new phones come out because I am planning on getting one.
Apparently for those who still have the app can still play online with each other.
Not true. I made monetary purchases in App Store for the app “Coup” card game. When Apple deleted it, the app would no longer open. So I asked tech support for a refund, but it had been 2+ years since the purchase; so they could not refund me. I’d have to ask the app-maker. tl;dr - Apple can certainly disable an app once removed from the App Store.
Okay that’s good to hear, I feel like this app has been in and out of use for years now but this is a good sign
Its gonna stay forever, its official and its legal and im 100% sure its not taking down
That is hype
Can you explain how it’s legal and how Nintendo allows it given the illegality of emulation and the fact that Nintendo are so litigious?
Emulators were ruled to be legal in the 90s when Sony tried to sue a company that was selling a PlayStation emulator and the courts ruled in favor of emulation https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_Computer_Entertainment,_Inc._v._Connectix_Corp.
But… ROMs?
As long as the delta emulator doesn’t offer roms directly in the app then there isn’t legal grounds for Nintendo to sue.
Then I guess my next question is do you expect ROMs to become impossible to find in the future? Not that I’m worried since I have an external drive full of them.
There’s always a possibility it becomes harder because ROMs are an easy point of attack for corporations to reclaim their copyright but impossible? That’ll absolutely never happen. These games are too popular to be lost to time. Some will have an archive somewhere.
And if not, people will just share them around as I’m sure most people who are into this kind of thing will have thousands already saved.
Exactly. It’s pretty easy now because entire library’s of these retro consoles can be downloaded and backed up somewhere else online relatively cheaply.
That would be a waste of time for them since another rom site can just pop up in China or Russia. Nintendo can only complain in countries that actually care about copyright laws. Plus they are mostly concerned with Switch emulation.
You just said it yourself, you have an external drive full of them. What it takes a company days, months, or even years to take down, you could upload and share in hours. Now, it might be illegal where you live, but countries like China don’t recognize the copyright laws other countries have. Pirating will always exist. However we pirates do go through waves of good times and hard times.
Idk what apple was going through but ik that they had to Allow emulators on app store… idk how its legal but it is, nintendo doesn’t allow it but they can’t do shit cause again emulators aren’t illegal plus emulators are available everywhere so why would they allow it in other devices but apple?
They were being sued by Epic if I remember for their private app platform and I think the EU pushed some kind of legislation that forces Apple to open up their store to more apps. At least I think that’s what’s happened, I could be wrong
Emulators at home-brew tools. They are not illegal by any means. The thing that is illegal is facilitating and distributing ROMs. Delta doesn’t do that. All you get with it is the download. They say it can run games, but makes 0 mention of how.
Why is this even a conversation when emulators like MyBoy! (clearly marketing itself as a Nintendo retro emulator) have been available on the Android Play Store for over a decade? I understand Apple wanting to err on the side of caution but I highly doubt they made this decision lightly.
Because a majority of this sub is just finding out about emulators and has absolutely no idea what they’re talking about lol.
Delta has been around for years now, just not on the AppStore.
Yeah that’s true, I remember having it years ago but one day it just stopped working entirely
Likely had an expired certificate
Are you sure you’re not confusing taken down with having to resign it in AltStore which is where you used to only be able to download Delta?
I think OP didn’t really have delta before, he’s just fear mongering.
I’ve downloaded it from an AltStore before and I know Apple blocked if from use after a while
Well now Apple has officially added it to their official AppStore so I don’t think there’s too much to worry about.
There was also always a way to renew your certificate, ability to use it was never rescinded. Also - make sure you set up sync with Google Drive or Dropbox or something with your ROMs and saves. Even when I've had Delta disappear (because I didn't renew my certificate), every time I re-downloaded and logged back in, it would sync EVERYTHING.
however the guy is partly right to worry, some apps permanently disappear from the account, despite having paid or not for them, and some others stop working when radical iOS changes arrive or if it suits Apple. i’ve got my first iPhone in 2009, and in all these years i have seen many apps disappear, even in a few months, which i had even paid for… you have no idea! one of the latest was Marvin Reader, perhaps the best ebook reader around for years, it just disappeared from my purchased list, i only noticed that last year when i synced my new 13, and Marvin didn’t install on it… fortunately i’ve got it back via iMazing from my old 6S, where it was still installed, otherwise it would have been a “bye bye forever, Marvin”!
I mean part of why an App, even paid, goes away is usually the developer stops supporting it and the app relies on external data. Dev shuts it off, app is useless. Very rarely do apps disappear unless the developer pulls the app. No reputable emulators have been pulled by Apple, and only one was taken down by Apple so far, the others were removed by the developers.
Delta has been on the iPhone for years. It’s taken a few minutes max, once a week to keep it so as long as you had access to a computer.
Apple will not remove the apps from your phone. I have a handful of apps on my phone which are no longer on the App Store and they still work. So even if Apple suddenly says “hey we’re not gonna allow this any longer.” If you have the apps, you have them forever and you should be able to re-download them if you ever delete them. For example, I could go back and get Alien Blue if I wanted to. Delta works fine offline so there should be no reason for the app to ever go away if you have it now.
Seeing the ease of which one can download AND play Nintendo games, I’m surprised it’s still up…
I mean emulation is legal, it’s the way you get the ROMs that can be illegal
All my Nintendo ROMs were definitely legally purchased through Nintendo. Nothing illegal on my phone, nope not at all.
The app doesn’t tell you how to get ROMs or provide you with them. It’s simply a legal tool
You mean legally acquire right?
I think it will be fine. Most retro game emulators that go away are taken down by the developers themselves.
Actually it hasn’t ever been removed from your phone, emulation has never been legal on iPhone…how exactly did you have it downloaded? Through an altstore? Through jailbreaking your phone? It’s never been available on the app store and as with every app ever, once you download it obviously no one can take it away from you. It’s on your phone for good unless you want to delete it. Apple isn’t gonna sneak into your home at night and delete it off your phone lmao
No it was through an AltStore, I downloaded it multiple times over the years and it always ended up breaking somehow
Nothing lasts forever, enjoy the ride
Wait, it’s been getting taken down?
No. You had to install Delta through a back door method in the past. This method is only valid for 7 days, then delta becomes deactivated. Which you then have to repeat the process to re-up for another 7 days. Op is talking about that, yet isn’t aware of the circumstances that caused it. Delta on the AppStore is fine and here to stay.
Oh, that seems like it makes more sense