Delta emulator announces iPad support — here’s what we know

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Puzzlequest running on Delta emulator on iPhone
(Image credit: Future)

The retro game emulator Delta is bringing out its first major iOS update, and also launching support for the iPad.

Recently, the developer of Delta, AltStore.io, announced on X it had reached 10 million current players. As a part of this milestone, AltStore.io said, "The first major Delta update is here and is fully optimized for iPad! Delta 1.6 is available now in AltStore PAL and soon in the App Store — complete with our new 100% legal logo."

According to a recent report from 9to5Mac, this latest update is more than just porting the iPhone version of the app to the iPad. Delta on iPad will instead include several iPad-specific features. These include support for opening multiple Delta windows and playing Delta in Stage Manager or Split View. It has also been noted that each console skin will be optimized for the iPad, alongside full-screen support.

iPad 10th generation in the hands browsing the iPad OS home screen

(Image credit: Future)

However, iPhone users shouldn’t be too put out as a few new features are included in the smartphone version of the update. Delta 1.6 includes new app icon options for past and current Patreon users, a new long-press menu button gesture and melonDS core 0.9.5 support for better DS game compatibility, making it easier for Pokemon fans to play every game in the series on their iPhone.

Apple has long avoided allowing emulators onto the iPhone, but the rise of Delta has shown that users really desire old school console emulators. However, Apple has been strict on what it designates as consoles, for instance, it banned PC emulator UTM SE from its stores. It has to be said that Apple has also been working to improve gaming on its Macs with recent changes to how they download programs.

The constant growth of Delta and other emulators is great to see, and it will mean a bright future for retro gaming on both iPhones and iPads. However, AltStore.io isn’t the only company looking to improve as Apple has huge updates in store for its devices. For more information check out our breakdowns of all the new features coming to iOS 18 and iPadOS 18.

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Josh Render
Josh Render
Staff Writer

Josh is a staff writer for Tom's Guide and is based in the UK. He has worked for several publications but now works primarily on mobile phones. Outside of phones, he has a passion for video games, novels, and Warhammer.