# iDOS 3 — Play Classic DOS Games

> Emulates a DOS PC for classic games and productivity on iOS devices. (iPhone/iPad app by 潮激 李.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/idos-3/id1580768213 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [潮激 李](https://appshunter.io/developer/342075158)
- Category: Utilities, Education
- Price: $4.99
- Rating: 4.30/5 from 51 App Store ratings · 88 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 15.0 · 8 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2024-08-09
- Data updated: 2026-09-02
- Monetization: free
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/idos-3/id1580768213/reviews.md

## What is iDOS 3?

Play classic DOS games on your iPhone and iPad!

iDOS turns your device right into a powerful DOS gaming PC, with modern game control to make your old favorites as playable as possible.

You can also use iDOS for non-gaming purposes, such as word processing, casual programming. Apps in the DOS days are often simpler and surprisingly productive.

KEYBOARD

iDOS provides a PC compatible on-screen keyboard with carefully designed layouts for different devices and orientations. The keyboard has a sliding control in landscape mode so that you can keep it from covering critical part of the screen.

Bluetooth keyboard is fully supported on iOS 14+.

GAMEPAD

iDOS provides a virtual gamepad with key bindings that are fairly common in DOS games. You can customize the bindings. The DPAD works in 8-axis way. It can also be toggled into a joystick.

External bluetooth game controllers are supported. Make sure your game controller is connected (System Settings->Bluetooth). To customize button bindings, go to iDOS in landscape mode, tap on bluetooth icon on the auto-hiding top bar. 

MOUSE

The screen area serves as a trackpad for moving mouse pointer.
Tap on the screen for left click. If direct touch is enabled, the mouse pointer will move to where you tap.
Hold one finger on the screen, and tap with another finger for right click.


On-screen mouse buttons are also provided for your convenience.

Bluetooth mouse are fully supported on iOS 14+.

AUDIO

iDOS supports mt32 emulation, MIDI sound fonts, cuesheet based CDimage with compressed audio tracks (ogg/mp3/flac). 

SUPPORT

- Visit https://litchie.com/dospad for more information
- Send email to idos@litchie.com
- Follow the developer on Twitter: https://twitter.com/litchiedev
- iDOS is open source, report issue on https://github.com/litchie/dospad

## Key features

- On-screen keyboard with custom layouts
- Virtual gamepad with customizable bindings
- Trackpad mouse emulation
- MT-32 emulation and MIDI support
- Bluetooth keyboard and gamepad support
- Bluetooth mouse support

## Chart rankings

- #67 in Top Paid · Utilities (US App Store)

## What do users think of iDOS 3?

**Pros**

- 🎮 Playable classic DOS games
- 🤖 Great DOS emulator functionality
- 🎨 Awesome interface and user experience
- 🔍 Supports mounting of various disk formats (floppies, ISOs)
- 🖥️ Works best on M1/M2/M4 iPads
- 🚀 Actively updated and improved

**Cons**

- 🕹️ Steep learning curve for casual users
- 🔧 Lacks support for some common disk formats (e.g. .img, .iso)
- 🎮 Issues with game controls and mapping
- 📁 Difficulty managing multiple floppy disk installers
- 🔍 Limited disk mounting options in landscape mode

## Recent user reviews (10 of 88)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/idos-3/id1580768213/reviews.md

### 5/5 — 如何更换CD

*2026-08-14*

有些游戏玩到一半要换cd，请问如何操作？

### 1/5 — Very hard to use

*2026-07-25, version 3.3*

I read dos apps but it is very inconsistent.  Very hard to find the right dos packages. Could be apple’s iPod fault   It keeps making copies. Of the iDOS package!

### 5/5 — Super!

*2026-05-17*

Auf iPad mit norton Commander kommt richtiges Retro feeling auf. 
Folders Mount ist richtig gut. 
Schwierig ist es wenn man mehrere Disketten .img hat und davon installieren möchte aber 95% der dos Spiele laufen auf Anhieb :-) 
Ein Traum für mich. Da kann man die Erinnerung aufleben lassen

### 5/5 — Fantástica!

*2025-11-11, version 3.3*

Una joya…

### 5/5 — Excellent implementation

*2025-10-08, version 3.3*

I’m using Dosbox a lot for mostly nostalgic purposes. And was very surprised and excited to discover iDOS, never thought someone will get it running on iOS. I like the implementation, mounting directories from iCloud Drive is excellent feature, I usually mount a folder with my documents as drive E:. The video scaler, though, not perfect, works well, and it’s great that the 4:3 aspect ratio is supported. Wasn’t able to get an image of windows 95 running on it, but I blame the image, would have to bake my own. Highly recommended, and greatly appreciated. Thanks for the hard work of porting it to iOS

### 3/5 — Floppy disk struggles

*2025-09-29, version 3.3*

Unable to install certain games due to it having more than 1 floppy disk. After the first floppy disk is done being installed. there’s no way to unmount it and mount the next floppy disk. Please do an update to correct this. Just a unmount floppy disk button on the interface would solve this. Doesn’t have to be pretty. Otherwise this is an amazing emulator. And I want to give it a 5, but can’t because of this limitation.

### 1/5 — Foxpro2.6

*2025-09-27*

Dear developer 

Fox pro is not runni in idos3

### 5/5 — Win 3.11 direct touch

*2025-09-17, version 3.3*

Direct touch doesn't work with win 3.11, otherwise awesome.

### 5/5 — Is there a file called setup.exe

*2025-09-05, version 3.3*

Setup.exe

### 4/5 — Good!

*2025-08-07, version 3.3*

It’s just works like DOS - which is a positive and a slight negative. 

While DOS has some great games and functions, typing commands to launch is a pain on an iPad, especially without a keyboard. It would be great if we can create suspended states so we can jump straight back into a game without having to open the app, type the command and load a save. Or even to switch to a different game. Something similar to Delta game boy emulator.

## Frequently asked questions about iDOS 3

### What can I do with iDOS 3?

iDOS 3 allows you to play classic DOS games and run DOS-based applications on your iPhone and iPad. It emulates a DOS PC, providing modern controls for an improved experience with older software. You can also use it for productivity tasks like word processing and casual programming.

### How does iDOS 3 handle controls?

The app offers an on-screen keyboard with customizable layouts and a virtual gamepad with configurable key bindings. It also features trackpad emulation for mouse control, with options for on-screen buttons. Bluetooth keyboards, gamepads, and mice are fully supported on iOS 14 and later.

### Is iDOS 3 free to use?

Yes, iDOS 3 is a free application. The provided data indicates that it does not have in-app purchases or advertisements, making it entirely free to download and use.

### What kind of audio features does iDOS 3 support?

iDOS 3 supports advanced audio emulation for a more authentic retro gaming experience. This includes MT-32 emulation, MIDI sound fonts, and the ability to play CD images with compressed audio tracks like OGG, MP3, and FLAC.

### Can I use iDOS 3 with external devices?

Absolutely. iDOS 3 offers full support for external Bluetooth devices. This includes keyboards, gamepads, and mice, allowing for a more comfortable and familiar control scheme when playing games or using applications.

## Version history (last 4 releases)

### 3.3 — 2025-08-06

- Allow adjusting speed by tapping on cycles window
- Support Documentation folder in a game package
- Minor fixes

### 3.2 — 2024-10-22

- Support cuesheet cd images with compressed audio tracks, ogg/flac/mp3; add dos audio background mode option;
- Fix direct touch option
- Map external keyboard COMMAND-comma to escape

### 3.1 — 2024-09-09

- Upgraded dosbox-svn r4484
- Fixed midi=coreaudio soundfont support
- Support boxer package format
- fixed ipad mini6 incorrect ui

### 3.0 — 2024-08-10

No release notes.

## Apps similar to iDOS 3

| App | Rating | Price | Category |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [StopTheMadness Pro](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stopthemadness-pro/id6471380298) | 4.7 (197) | $14.99 | Utilities |
| [Ticci Tabs](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ticci-tabs/id6504975664) | 4.9 (52) | Free | Utilities |
| [CloudpilotEmu](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cloudpilotemu/id6478502699) | 5.0 (20) | Free | Utilities |
| [On‑Device AI:Private Workspace](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ondevice-aiprivate-workspace/id6497060890) | 4.4 (161) | Free | Utilities |
| [MuffinTerm](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/muffinterm/id1583236494) | 4.9 (38) | Free | Utilities |
| [Private LLM - Local AI Chat](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/private-llm-local-ai-chat/id6448106860) | 4.1 (702) | $4.99 | Utilities |

## More apps by 潮激 李

- [Golden Ear](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/golden-ear/id407945101)
- [TeX Writer - LaTeX On The Go](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tex-writer-latex-on-the-go/id552717222)
- [Write Only](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/write-only/id590507955)
- [EPS to PDF Converter](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/eps-to-pdf-converter/id768698217)
- [Write Only 2](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/write-only-2/id1524141551)

All apps by 潮激 李: https://appshunter.io/developer/342075158

## Related topics

[idos 3](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/idos-3) · [idos](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/idos)

---

*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-09-02.*