There are many users who are crying out for the possibility of installing emulators on any type of device, and as expected, those with Apple equipment were not going to be less. The problem is that these types of applications are not very well seen within the App Store, so they are never officially published. However, it seems that there is a method that will allow you to play Wii and Gamecube games, and the best part is that the performance is spectacular. If you are interested in playing Nintendo Wii and GameCube titles on your iPhone or iPad, you should know that it is possible even on non-jailbroken devices. The process will depend on the processor of your terminal and the version of iOS you have installed. You dare? Go for it.
The DolphiniOS emulator comes to iPhone and iPad
The most famous and well-known emulator of Wii and Gamecube games it's Dolphin. The program has performed excellently on PC and Android, and it seems that someone has created an iOS version with the so-called dolphiniOS. It is an application that has nothing to do with the original Dolphin, although its intention is basically the same. The most surprising thing is that its performance on Apple devices is spectacular (especially on iPad Pro), since you get completely stable frame rates and perfect video and sound emulation in all kinds of games.
Install an app on iPhone and iPad without jailbreaking?
To install the emulator we must take into account several essential aspects before starting the process. When installing it we will have two options, since it will depend on whether we have our iOS device with or without jailbreak.
Jailbreak Compatible Devices
Although the process of jailbreaking the iPhone or iPad is quite tedious, you should know that you can install this program on any iOS device that has a modified version of iOS 12 or higher. If this is already your case, you only have to go to Cydia and add the following repo: 'https://cydia.oatmealdome.me' (without quotes).
Once you have it, go to the package installer and look for the DolphiniOS executable. Install and go.
Supported devices without jailbreak
In order to install the program on your iOS device without touching the firmware, you must make sure that it is between version 12.0 and 13.7. On the other hand, this type of installation is only compatible with Apple devices that have an Apple A9 processor or higher. However, there are some exceptions that should be noted:
- Devices in version iOS 14 to 14.1: To be able to install DolphiniOS, you will have to carry out a partial jailbreak of the device using the DiOS tool. It is a non-permanent modification (tethered) that will be deleted from the phone as soon as we restart it. The process is explained in the official guide by Jkcoxson and Spidy123222, and you can consult it in the following link.
- iOS 14.2 to 14.3: Devices that have this version of the system can also follow this guide, but taking into account the following details:
- iPhone and iPad with A12 processor or higher: they can follow the process without any inconvenience.
- Computers equipped with an Apple A11 processor: they will have to follow the DiOS installation process that we have linked a few lines ago.
- Devices running iOS version 14.4 or higher and all versions of iOS 15: they will also have to perform the steps in the guide by Jkcoxson and Spidy123222,
In this case, we are going to focus on the non-jailbreak option, taking into account all the exceptions that we have marked. Once you meet those requirements, we'll get to work. The first step will be to install AltStore in our terminal, which is where we will find all the necessary accessories to bring DolphiniOS to our iPhone or iPad. If you do it from Windows you need to install iTunes and iCloud, but you must download the versions from the official Apple page, and not those that are published in the Microsoft Store. We leave you the corresponding links below:
Installing AltStore on iPhone or iPad
The following steps are similar for both Mac and Windows, as we will need to install the AltServer app to get the app to our iOS device. To do this you will have to do the following:
- Download to install the AltServer application on Windows/Mac.
- Start the AltServer service through the icon that you will see in the Windows notification bar or in the upper Menu Bar of Mac.
- Connect your iPhone/iPad to your computer and accept the trust message that you might see on the device's screen.
- On Windows and Mojave, you'll need to open iTunes and turn on Wi-Fi syncing for your phone.
- If, on the other hand, you have Catalina on Mac, open Finder and activate the option “Show this iPhone/iPad when on WiFi”
- Now it is time to access the AltServer application icon and click on “Install AltStore”, and then on your phone.
- Enter your Apple ID credentials with email and password.
- On Mac you will also be asked to install the Mail plug-in. You will have to open the Mail application, access the preferences and click on manage Plug-ins. In this menu you must activate the AltPlugin.mailbundle plug-in. Apply the changes and restart Mail.
- In a matter of seconds the AltStore icon will appear on the screen of your iPhone or iPad.
How to install DolphiniOS on iPhone and iPad
Once the application is installed, we will only have to install the DolphiniOS application. To do this you will have to do the following:
- Download the .ipa file from the official website and send it to a folder on your iOS device.
- Once the file is copied, start AltStore and add a new application with the + button
- After entering the necessary permissions and credentials, DolphiniOS will be completely installed on your device.
Do you have other devices? More interesting emulators
It may be that, in addition to computers from the bitten apple, you have the odd device at home where you can install emulators to enjoy retro games. It may surprise you but, for example, you will be able to load emulators and roms on the living room television, on an Android phone or tablet, and on other equipment such as the Amazon Fire TV Stick.
On our YouTube channel we have shown you through different videos how you can carry out this process in some of them:
Or, even, you will also be able to buy a "recreation" of one of your favorite consoles. The clear example is our video in which we show you how to do it using a Retroflag GPi Case and a Raspberry Pi Zero: