Apple claims that game emulators are permitted but removes a Game Boy emulator for App Store infractions

 Apple has taken down iGBA, a Game Boy emulator app for iPhone, shortly after approving its launch over the weekend. The app became one of the first to benefit from Apple’s recently relaxed rules surrounding retro game emulators.

 These changes followed pressure from EU regulators, who urged Apple to open up the App Store to competitors like AltStore. AltStore offers game emulators and other apps supported by Patreon contributions to iPhone users.

iGBA, which launched on Sunday, was an ad-supported version of the open-source GBA4iOS project. It allowed users to download Game Boy Advance and Game Boy Color ROMs from the web and play them within the app. However, the app was submitted to the App Store without the consent of GBA4iOS developer Riley Testut, who also created AltStore and Delta—a popular successor to GBA4iOS available on Apple’s TestFlight.

In a post on Threads, Testut expressed frustration over Apple approving iGBA while his Delta emulator, ready for launch since March 5, remained unpublished. He also criticized the unauthorized use of his work, stating, “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).” Testut sarcastically questioned Apple’s role in protecting consumers from “scams and rip-offs.”

Some pointed out that the knock-off app used GBA4iOS code, which was distributed under the GNU GPL v2 license. However, Testut had added a custom restriction to prevent App Store distribution, arguing that this should not have been allowed under GPL v2.

Despite this, Apple decided to remove iGBA for breaching its guidelines on spam and copyright violations (rules 4.3 and 5.2, respectively). The company justified its action, stating that while the app’s functionality had been approved, its unauthorized copying of another developer’s submission led to the removal.

The removal comes amid pressure from the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), which has pushed Apple to make the App Store more open. While Apple had previously announced changes to comply with the DMA—such as allowing streaming game stores globally—support for retro game emulators wasn’t added until this month. The new rules required in-app purchases for digital content, but iGBA was free and ad-supported, meaning its removal didn’t impact Apple’s revenue.