The controversial GBA4iOS clone that topped the App Store is gone, but the rules cited by Apple for its removal leave me with more questions than answers about the future of emulators on this platform. I’m leaving it to you.
Emulator app iGBA accused of copying another developer’s work without a license
Shortly after Apple changed the App Store rules to allow console emulator submissions, the first few are starting to become available. But one of his, iGBA, is currently being accused by Riley Testut of being a knock-off of his GBA4iOS.
Posting on Mastodon, Testut went on to say that he is not criticizing iGBA developer Mattia La Spina, but only Apple. He said: “Apple changed the App Store rules over time to allow emulators and subsequently approved knock-offs of the app I created. I started an Alt Store with Delta starting March 5th. “Despite the fact that we were preparing to raise the price,” he said, feeling dissatisfied.
Alt Store has reportedly been on test flights for a year. Therefore, the App Store reviewer would have had the ability and time to compare iGBA and Testut’s latest version of his GBA4iOS, Delta, if he could have looked.
With thousands of app submissions, it’s easy to see how a single reviewer could miss that a nearly identical app exists on Testflight. but, AppleInsider We have identified that there are elements in iGBA that should give rise to concerns at the review stage.
For example, the app has the ability to track your location for no gaming-related reason. Additionally, users report that although the game is free to download, it has a lot of ads.
Testut has open sourced its code, but there are terms and conditions that restrict the license.
His license on Github states, “Unless you plan to submit your app, you may use, modify, and modify all original code from this project in any form, with or without attribution, without fear of legal repercussions. You expressly permit us to distribute it.” If you wish to access Apple’s App Store, you must have my express written permission. ”
Neither Apple nor the iGBA developer has commented publicly. However, the app was reported to violate his Testut license and was removed from the App Store.
But this is yet another example of even fraudulent apps being put on the App Store when Apple’s review team should have caught them. This comes as Apple has criticized being forced to allow alternative app stores in the EU, saying they are inherently unsafe.
iGBA removal
On Sunday evening, the controversial app was removed. Apple cited two sections of the App Store’s review guidelines regarding copyright violations and spam. Given the amount of advertising on apps, spam seems like the easiest thing to codify.
However, piracy is difficult to quantify. This could be an overuse of open source code, but it could also be about the ability for users to load their own ROM files.
As mentioned before, the concept of emulation is legal. What is illegal is to create an emulator using her ROM files or source code from the manufacturer that the user does not own.
Apple’s specific requirements state that add-ons and ROMs must comply with several guidelines and all applicable laws. Therefore, the specific content of the copyright infringement part is not clear.
Only time will tell Apple’s actual stance on this issue. More emulators will be submitted for publication, and more approvals or rejections will be required to reveal Apple’s stance on user-loaded ROM files.
Updated 4/15 6:26 AM Added discussion about removing iGBA apps.
