The Nintendo DS, like the Gameboy, is one of the most appreciated consoles by gamers. It was released in 2004 and is still one of the most popular consoles to this day, due to its long-lasting battery life, two screens, touch capabilities, and huge library of games. Many would like to play Nintendo games on the iPhone and iPad.
However, Nintendo has never released Super Mario, Zelda, and other flagship games from a Japanese company on iOS. We have often talked about emulators for iOS and how to install an NDS emulator. But no official emulator has been released by Nintendo, leaving iOS users with limited access to the iconic games that have made Nintendo the gaming giant it is today. For example, we have written guides on how to install the GameBoy emulator on iOS 10. However, the emulation experience is not the same as playing on an official Nintendo system
Install the NDS emulator on iOS 10
The method that is used for the purposes of this guide allows you to install an NDS emulator on iOS 10 on iPhone and iPad. The steps are simple, and in no time you will be able to enjoy a whole range of classic titles from the Nintendo DS console on your iOS device. As mentioned above, you will have no problem with app and certificate authorizations. To solve this problem, I’ll show you how to personally sign the emulator.
In this way, Apple will not be able to revoke your certificate and you will be able to play without problems. You will need to keep in mind that, by signing the application independently, the signature will last 7 days.
After 7 days, you will have to re-certify the app via your PC. Do not worry. You will not lose games and bailouts. It is a mandatory step to continue playing. At the moment the one described is the best compromise I found.
The alternative would have been to use the developer’s certificates. However, this practice is not recommended as Apple can revoke these certificates. Months often pass before they are restored and you will not be able to play until they are revalidated.
Pre-requirements To Install NDS Emulator On iOS 10
Here is everything you need to be able to proceed with the guide.
- iPhone or iPad with iOS 10 installed.
- PC with Windows, Linux, or a Mac.
- The Nintendo DS emulator, iNDS, to download to PC / Mac – Link Download.
- The Cydia Impactor tool that you need to download to your PC / Mac – Windows | Mac | Linux 64-bit | Linux 32-bit.
[quads id=2]
How to install the NDS emulator on iOS 10
1. After downloading everything you need, start the Cydia Impactor tool on your PC or Mac.
2. Connect your iPhone or iPad to your computer via the USB – Lightning cable.
3. On Cydia Impactor a screen similar to the one in the image below will appear. Make sure your device name appears in the first field.
4. Now drag the iNDS_5.IPA file, which you downloaded earlier, into the Cydia Impactor tool.
5. You will see a new window appear. Enter the email address for your Apple ID account.
6. Press OK and then enter your account password. Confirm entry.
NOTE: if you have activated 2-step verification on your Apple ID account, you must create an ad-hoc password in your account settings. To do this, go to the appleid.apple.com website and log in with your data. In the Security, section click on Edit. Finally, under the item APP, SPECIFIC PASSWORDS select Generate password. You will be asked to enter a password label. Type GBA4iOS. Copy the proposed password and paste it into the Cydia Impactor window to proceed.
- Cydia Impactor will start to sign the iNDS app and then install it on your iPhone or iPad with iOS 10. If this is the first time you use Cydia Impactor, a warning will appear. Press OK to proceed.
- Wait for the installation to finish. Now go to Settings -> General -> Device management (or Profile and device management ).
- Click on your email address and then on Authorize “email address” to grant all permissions to iNDS.
7. Return to the Home Screen and start the Nintendo DS emulator for iOS 10 iNDS.
What to do the past 7 days
To install the Nintendo DS emulator on iOS 10 you need to certify the app. The certificate you will use has a duration of 7 days. After 7 days you will see that the Nintendo DS iNDS emulator can no longer be started and will close at startup. To restore its operation, follow these simple steps:
- Connect your iPhone or iPad to your PC / Mac using the USB – Lightning cable.
- Start the Cydia Impactor tool.
- Drag the iNDS_5.ipa file into Cydia Impactor.
- Enter the email and password of the previously used Apple ID account.
A new certificate will be inserted into the app and you can continue playing without problems. You will not lose any rescues or games in the app.
What to do in order not to lose the bailouts
It can be very annoying to lose all game progress. I also went through this situation and wanted to find a remedy for it. One of the causes is due to a malfunction of the Nintendo DS emulator for iPhone and iPad. It may happen that the emulator stops working and to resolve the problem it is necessary to uninstall the app. I solved this problem by synchronizing all the saves on Dropbox.
By taking this simple step, I no longer run the risk of having to start a game again. Enabling this feature is very easy: go to the emulator settings and enable Dropbox Sync. Each time you make a new save, it will be automatically synchronized on Dropbox.
If in the future you need to delete the emulator or it no longer works, it will be sufficient (after its installation) to re-enable synchronization with Dropbox and you will be able to recover all your progress.
How to Install iNDS Emulator on Non-Jailbroken iOS Devices:
STEP 1: Open this URL ( iemulators.com/inds ) on the Safari browser.
STEP 2: Scroll down and tap iNDS – “A DS Emulator” box on the web page.
STEP 3: When a new window pops up with additional information, tap the Install option in it.
STEP 4: Once again tap the Install option when the following alert appears, public.boxcloud.com would like to install “iNDS.”
STEP 5: iNDS emulator is installed now, but let’s give it permission to work.
STEP 6: Open Settings > Profiles, or it might be, Settings > General > Profiles in some devices.
STEP 7: Find and tap on iNDS emulator profile.
STEP 8: Now tap the Trust alert twice, and you are all done!
Conclusions
The iNDS emulator is the best Nintendo DS emulator for iOS 10. It offers different features such as the possibility to upload saved games to Dropbox. I advise you to enable this feature to be able to play on multiple devices keep synchronized saves and have a backup copy of your game progress. This way you will never run the risk of having to restart a game from scratch.
Here are the steps to install the NDS emulator on iOS 10. If you have any problems, let us know via the comments in this article.