Apple has revealed why they removed the iGBA Game Boy Emulator from the App Store after it flew to the top of the recommended list.
Shortly after Apple updated its App Store rules to allow emulators, iPhone users began patiently waiting for the first one to become available.
The iGBA Game Boy Emulator was among the first to get uploaded, but some quickly noticed that it was similar to another emulator — GBA4iOS.
iGBA flew up the list of top apps quickly after word got out that it had been available, but it was removed within a day of it going viral.
In a statement to MacRumors, Apple revealed that iGBA was removed because it was a “ripoff of GBA4iOS.”
Riley Testut, the developer of GBA4iOS, commented on the app being added to the App Store in a post on Threads and shared his frustrations.
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“So apparently Apple approved a knock-off of GBA4iOS — the predecessor to Delta I made in high school — in the App Store. I did not give anyone permission to do this, yet it’s now sitting at the top of the charts (despite being filled with ads + tracking),” Riley said.
“I’ve bit my tongue a bunch in the past month…but this really frustrates me. So glad App Review exists to protect consumers from scams and rip-offs like this.”
Riley made it clear that he’s not mad at the developer of iGBA, but more so at Apple’s recent change in opinion regarding emulators.
“My frustration stemmed entirely from the fact we’ve been ready to launch Delta since last month. This whole situation could’ve been avoided if Apple hadn’t delayed approving us until after changing their rules to allow emulators,” he said.
