iPhone gamers, here’s a cool surprise: the Game Boy emulator is now available on the iOS App Store

Surprisingly, a Game Boy emulator called iGBA has arrived on iPhone and iPad after Apple recently revised its App Store guidelines. The app’s appearance marks a major change from Apple’s previous stance on emulators, which were strictly banned.

found arrival

The presence of iGBA was first noticed by Parker Ortolani, but it’s unclear whether Apple or the developers decided to remove the app from the store after its initial release.According to reports, this is the first time that Apple appears to be allowing game emulators to appear on its platform after changing its App Store rules. 9to5mac.

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Emulator features and functionality

iGBA is a free emulator that allows users to load and play Game Boy and Game Boy Advance ROMs directly on iOS devices, a feature that Apple was firmly against just a few weeks ago. The developers behind iGBA seem to have seized on the opportunity presented by this rule change, releasing an app that functions very similarly to the open source GBA4iOS project. However, iGBA contains embedded advertising, which differs significantly from the original open source version.

Powerful emulator functions

Despite its questionable origins, iGBA is a powerful emulator that offers a range of features. Users can download ROM from the Internet and open it directly in iGBA to play the game. The app supports saved states, customizable virtual controllers, haptic feedback settings, and even AirPlay for external display projection.

Browse Apple’s new guidelines

Apple’s revised App Store rules are somewhat vague about what is allowed for sideloaded ROM installations, referring to permitted emulators within host applications. However, if iGBA’s approval is intentional rather than an oversight by Apple’s review team, it’s indicative of wider acceptance of the ROM loading feature.

Apple’s updated policies have opened the floodgates for game emulators on the App Store. As a result, we expect a wave of similar apps to emerge, giving users more options to relive classic games on modern devices.

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