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 policies to allow emulators, iPhone users began patiently waiting for the first to become available.
The iGBA Game Boy Emulator was among the first to be uploaded, but some quickly noticed that it was similar to another emulator — GBA4iOS.
iGBA quickly shot up the top apps list after word got out that it was available, but was removed within a day of going viral.
In a statement to MacRumors, Apple revealed that iGBA was removed because it was a “spoof of GBA4iOS.”
Riley Testut, GBA4iOS developer, commented on adding the app to the App Store in a thread post and shared his frustrations.
“So apparently Apple has approved a copy of GBA4iOS — the Delta predecessor I made in high school — in the App Store. I didn’t give anyone permission to do that, but now it’s at the top of the charts (despite being filled with ads + tracking),” Riley said.
“I’ve bitten my tongue a lot in the last month…but this really frustrates me. I’m glad App Review exists to protect consumers from scams and scams like this.”
Riley made it clear that he’s not mad at the iGBA developer, but more at Apple’s recent change of heart on emulators.
“My frustration stems entirely from the fact that we have been ready to launch Delta since last month. This whole situation could have been avoided if Apple hadn’t delayed our approval until they changed their rules to allow emulators,” he said.