The First Retro Gaming Emulator for IPhone Has Been Removed From the App Store
Earlier this month , Apple quietly adjusted its Apple Store review guidelines by adding new language that specifically states, “Retro gaming console emulator apps may offer game downloads,” marking the first time the company has allowed emulators on iOS. Hooray!
It didn’t take long for someone to take advantage of this new opportunity: iGBA, a Game Boy emulator, debuted on the App Store over the weekend, quickly topping the free app charts . The introductory emulator seemed to be playing by Apple’s new rules: since piracy is apparently illegal, the app will only run ROMs you’ve downloaded yourself into the Files app on your iPhone. iPhone gamers rejoiced. Apple then removed the emulator from its market , just days after its launch. iPhone gamers mourned.
While we still don’t know exactly why Apple pulled the iGBA, there seems to be a plausible explanation – and it has nothing to do with pirated games. Developer Riley Testut took to Threads on Sunday to highlight the fact that iGBA appears to be a knockoff of their own GBA4iOS emulator. Despite Testut not giving permission to use his code, iGBA somehow managed to pass Apple’s strict app review process and make it onto the App Store itself. Tetsut has been trying to launch its alternative app store AltStore in the European Union for over a month now and plans to publish Delta, an updated version of GBA4iOS, as soon as it does so. Given all this, Testsut says he is especially disappointed that Apple was so quick to approve a fake of his app.
However, Apple appears to have taken Testut’s claims seriously. My guess is that the company launched an investigation, and once Apple confirmed that iGBA was indeed created from stolen code, it promptly removed it from the App Store.
The process appeared to be consistent with what is outlined in the company’s Application Review Guidelines:
Make sure your app only contains content that you have created or are licensed to use. Your app may be removed if you cross the line and use content without permission. Of course, this also means that someone else’s app can be removed if it “borrows” your work.
There is a lot to learn from this experience. First of all, don’t steal. This is wrong and Apple will boot you from the App Store for this, no matter how successful you are. Secondly, and more relevant for most of us, is to not download the first emulator to hit the iOS App Store. Tetsut says iGBA is riddled with ads and tracking, meaning those lucky retro gamers playing Pokémon on their iPhones this weekend likely had their privacy violated. There’s no evidence that iGBA was malicious , but it’s easy to imagine another emulator app with bad intentions sneaking into the App Store.
Although you won’t be able to download iGBA in the future, it won’t disappear from your iPhone if you’ve already installed it. While you can continue to use it given the situation, I would recommend that you simply uninstall it. While this change in Apple’s policy is positive, it’s important to take a breath: I’m sure Apple will be even more stringent with its emulation reviews in the future, but it may be best to wait until the emulator has undergone further testing before diving into your favorite retro game. game.