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I played some Game Boy Advance games on my iPhone last night thanks to a new emulator called iGBA. This appears to be the first Game Boy Advance emulator on the App Store since Apple started allowing emulators worldwide. The only problem is that iGBA doesn’t seem to be the work of developer Mattia La Spina himself.
Nevertheless, he says he is dissatisfied with Apple, not La Spina.
Testut also provided the following statement: The Verge:
I’ve been working with Apple to launch AltStore as an alternative app marketplace for over a month now, and in that time I was disappointed to see Apple approve a copy of AltStore’s flagship app, Delta. I am thinking. However, we plan to launch Delta Air Lines as soon as possible and will be sharing more details about that soon.
Starting with iGBA, here are some screenshots of GBA4iOS and iGBA for comparison.
When asked for comment, La Spina did not explicitly acknowledge using Testut’s code, but said: The Verge “We did not expect the app to have such a big impact and we are truly sorry,” they said, adding that they had contacted Testut via email.
Another issue with iGBA is that it collects data that can be used to identify users, such as location data and identifiers, according to its App Store listing. Before we get into it, we recommend reading developer Mattia La Spina’s privacy policy hosted on Github. However, location data permission was not requested when I loaded the app. Additionally, some Reddit users did not see consent for in-app browser trackers. Users reported seeing it.
I know of one more emulator. The Verge”s Parker Orlotani. Emu64 XL is a Commodore 64 emulator. Here I saw a consent request form populated with toggles that looked like miles of trackers. I no longer search for or play Commodore 64 games on my Emu64 XL, and I have deleted the app.
Apple has tightly controlled the App Store since its creation. That control is now crumbling, as EU digital market laws allow the company to sideload apps from other app stores and onto iPhones. The company also faces a lawsuit from the U.S. Department of Justice that could force it to make similar concessions. That may be why the company started allowing emulators in the first place. Either way, the emulator being allowed feels like a victory. It’s a shame that the first apps to take advantage of it aren’t fully functional yet.
Updated April 14, 2024, 11:17 a.m. ET: Updated with comments from developers Riley Testut and Mattia La Spina.
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