Apple has removed iGBA from the App Store. The tech giant recently started allowing game emulators on the App Store, and iGBA was one of the first to become available. The app has now been removed from the App Store again for violating its App Store Rules.
Apple has removed iGBA from the App Store for violating its App Review Terms, specifically around spam and copyright , the company tells MacRumors. The tech giant does not go into further detail about this. However, it was previously revealed that iGBA may be an unauthorized clone of GBA4iOS. The latter is an open source emulator that has been available for iOS for a decade through unofficial channels.
GBA4iOS developer Riley Testut reports in an email to tech website The Verge that his emulator uses the GNU GPLv2 license. The iGBA emulator did not contain references to that license, which may be a violation of the terms. Apple's App Store copyright terms state: “Make sure your app only contains content that you have created or is licensed to use. Your app may be removed if you have overstepped the mark and used content without permission.”< /p>
Testut expresses his frustration on social media about the appearance of a GBA4iOS clone in the App Store. “I'm angry that Apple took the time to change the App Store rules to allow emulators, and then approved an imitation of my own app.” The developer says he has been trying to release AltStore, an alternative app store for iOS, for more than a month. Apple has not yet given approval for this. Upon release, Testut plans to release its new emulator, Delta, to AltStore.
The clone developer did not confirm in a statement to The Verge that his app used GBA4iOS code. The developer says he 'didn't think the app would have so many consequences' and expresses regret. The iGBA developer said he contacted Testut by email.
Apple said in early April that the company will allow game emulators in the App Store. IGBA was one of the first emulators to be approved by Apple. The app rose high in the App Store rankings last weekend. According to users, the app contained many advertisements. The app would also collect a lot of data from users, as the App Store privacy labels showed. A Commodore 64 emulator has also appeared in the App Store, called Emu64 XL. It's still available.
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