In a surprising turn of events, Apple has removed the iGBA Game Boy emulator app from its App Store, just days after approving its launch. The app was one of the first to take advantage of Apple's relaxed rules regarding retro game emulators. This move by the tech giant came after pressure from EU regulators to open up the App Store to competitors, such as AltStore, which aims to provide game emulators and other Patreon-backed apps to iPhone users.

The iGBA app, which was launched on Sunday, offered a copy of the open-source project GBA4iOS. It allowed users to download Game Boy Advance and Game Boy Color ROMs from the web and play them within the app. However, it was revealed that the app was submitted to the App Store without the permission of GBA4iOS developer Riley Testut, who also developed the AltStore and Delta emulator.

Testut expressed his frustration with Apple in a post on Threads, stating that he had not given anyone permission to create a knock-off version of his app. He criticized Apple for approving iGBA while his own app Delta has been ready for launch since March 5. Testut also pointed out that the iGBA app contained ads and tracking, despite his efforts to protect consumers from such practices.

It was discovered that the knock-off version of iGBA used the same code as GBA4iOS. Although GBA4iOS is distributed under a GNU GPL v2 license, Testut had added a custom restriction that prohibited App Store distribution of any work containing the code. Some argued that this restriction was not technically allowed under the GPL v2 license.

Apple, however, took the side of Testut and determined that the knock-off app violated its App Store guidelines on spam and copyright. It promptly removed the iGBA app from the App Store. Apple clarified that while the functionality of the app was initially approved, the company had to take action upon learning that another developer's submission was being copied and passed off as its own.

This incident comes in the wake of Apple's efforts to comply with the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA), which aims to make the App Store more open. Apple recently updated its App Store rules to align with the new regulation and announced that it would allow streaming game stores globally. However, the additional support for retro game emulators, like iGBA, was only added this month with the requirement that these games must use in-app purchases.

While the removal of iGBA from the App Store may not have a significant impact on Apple's bottom line, as the app was free and ad-supported, it raises questions about the company's app approval process. Apple has been under scrutiny for monopolistic practices related to the App Store, and incidents like this further highlight the need for transparency and fairness in its operations.