Attention iPhone gamers: A Game Boy emulator is now accessible on the iOS App Store, offering a fun surprise.
Following Apple’s recent changes to its App Store guidelines, a Game Boy emulator called iGBA has unexpectedly become available on the iPhone and iPad. This marks a notable shift from Apple’s previous strict prohibition of emulators.
Arrival detection
Parker Ortolani was the first to notice the appearance of the iGBA, although it is unclear whether Apple or the developer decided to remove the app from the store after it was first released. This comes after Apple revised its App Store rules, which appears to allow game emulators on its platform for the first time, reports 9to5mac.
Features and functionality of the emulator
iGBA, a free emulator, allows users to download and play Game Boy and Game Boy Advance ROMs directly on their iOS devices—a feature Apple would have strongly opposed just weeks ago. The developer behind the iGBA seems to have taken advantage of this rule change and released an app that closely mimics the functionality of the open source GBA4iOS project. However, the iGBA contains embedded advertisements, which is a notable difference from the original open source version.
Strong emulator features
Despite its questionable origins, iGBA is a solid emulator that offers a number of features. Users can download ROMs from the web and flash them directly on the iGBA for gaming. The app supports recording modes, customizable virtual controls, haptic feedback settings, and even AirPlay for projecting to an external display.
Navigating Apple’s new instructions
Apple’s revised App Store rules were somewhat vague about allowing page-downloaded ROM installations, referring to licensed emulated programs in the host application. However, if the iGBA’s acceptance was intentional and not an oversight by Apple’s review team, it suggests a wider acceptance of the ROM download function.
Apple’s updated policies have opened game emulators in the App Store. As a result, we can expect a wave of similar apps to appear, giving users more options to return to classic games on their modern devices.
