Our Insights
Post 5 mins Sian-Louise Montgomery

The emulator that followed the rules – and still got banned

Manomio’s Commodore 64 emulator was delightfully different. It wasn’t another grey-market retro app. It had licences, it offered only legal games, it had a clean interface and on-screen controls that let users enjoy a faithful, old-school experience. Crucially, it had Apple’s approval. But even with all that in place, the app was pulled from the App Store. Why? Because the BASIC interpreter, a core part of the original C64, was still technically accessible. Hidden behind a few keystrokes, not advertised, and not promoted. You’d have to know where to look. But, nonetheless, it was there.

That was all it took.

Approval meant nothing in the end

After spending months navigating Apple’s policies, securing rights, and removing features to gain approval, Manomio finally launched their emulator. For a moment, it looked like they’d done everything right. But Apple pulled the app again almost immediately. One feature, which users could only unlock if they really knew how, triggered the takedown. There was no evidence of misuse, no rule-breaking code in plain sight. Just a risk Apple wasn’t willing to take. All that effort, all that compliance. Undone in an instant.

What could have changed things

This wasn’t about bad intent. Manomio had put in the work. They had permission. They’d cut features. They’d followed the rules – or so they thought.

But apps don’t just need to look and seem compliant to the average user, they need to be watertight. That means rooting out even dormant features. It means testing what can be triggered, not just what’s advertised. It means thinking like a reviewer, or a regulator, not just a developer. With a more detailed pre-launch audit, that leftover code could have been caught and removed, and the app might have stayed live.

“If Apple approves it, we’re fine”

This is the biggest myth and an understanding that we see all the time. All too often, clients believe that a green light from Apple is a guarantee. In reality, approval just means you’re fine for now. Manomio passed the App Store review. That didn’t protect them when someone flagged the hidden BASIC interpreter. Reviewers don’t catch everything. But once something’s flagged, Apple will act, they won’t wait around. A lot of developers assume that if something’s buried deep, it doesn’t matter. But buried features are often the riskiest kind.

What’s hiding in your code?

What features are still lurking in your app build? What legacy functionality could trigger a takedown – even if no one’s using it?

Start with our App Triage Checklist, then use the App Risk Radar to pressure-test what your app might be hiding. Because in platform-land, even sleeping code isn’t safe.

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