iPhone users have to keep waiting for the Game Boy emulator of their dreams. Photo: Caleb Oquendo/Pexels
A Game Boy emulator was added to the iPhone App Store over the weekend. This might be proof that Apple really has removed restrictions blocking retro game emulators.
Trouble is, the iGBA app has already been kicked out of the software store. But it was a very dodgy app that allegedly ripped off the work of another developer so its removal may have nothing to do with recent changes in Apple policy.
Hurray, the first Game Boy emulator on the App Store!
For many years, Apple prohibited developers from listing retro game emulators for download on the App Store. It actively took down any such that have slipped through its review process.
iGBA: GBA & GBC Retro Emulator is apparently the first application introduced after the change. Its appearance on Saturday ordinarily would be a a cause for joy — people have wanted a Game Boy emulator for iPhone for many years.
And while the software was loaded with advertising, that’s typical of free games. Users also complained that it was tracking their locations, which is also not that usual for free games — more people should check how they’re being tracked by “free” apps.
And it’s gone
But then on Sunday developer Riley Testut posted on a variety of social media platforms, “So apparently Apple approved a knock-off of GBA4iOS — the predecessor to Delta I made in high school — in the App Store. I did not give anyone permission to do this.”
GBA4iOS is a Game Boy Advance emulator Testut released many years ago. He’s also the developer of AltStore.
His complaint appears to have been what it took to get iGBA: GBA & GBC Retro Emulator kicked off the App Store. It was reportedly removed because of copyright violations and spam.
So those looking to see whether Apple really, truly means it when it says retro game emulators for iPhone are now allowed still don’t know for sure one way or the other.
Apple’s recently-launched Sports app for the iPhone was updated today ahead of the NBA and NHL playoffs, which both begin this weekend.
Apple says fans will be able to “follow every matchup with added details on each series and more,” but we have not noticed any immediate changes in the app after updating to the new version. The first NBA and NHL playoff series begin on Saturday, April 20, so the extra details will presumably become visible then. Some info like playoff matchups and conference standings was already available in the previous version of the app.
Released in February, the Apple Sports app shows scores, schedules, stats, and more for a variety of leagues, such as the NBA, NHL, MLB, MLS, and Premier League. The app also displays real-time play-by-play information for ongoing games.
iOS 18 is expected to be the “biggest” update in the iPhone’s history. Below, we recap rumored features and changes for the iPhone. iOS 18 is rumored to include new generative AI features for Siri and many apps, and Apple plans to add RCS support to the Messages app for an improved texting experience between iPhones and Android devices. The update is also expected to introduce a more…
A week after Apple updated its App Review Guidelines to permit retro game console emulators, a Game Boy emulator for the iPhone called iGBA has appeared in the App Store worldwide. The emulator is already one of the top free apps on the App Store charts. It was not entirely clear if Apple would allow emulators to work with all and any games, but iGBA is able to load any Game Boy ROMs that…
Apple’s hardware roadmap was in the news this week, with things hopefully firming up for a launch of updated iPad Pro and iPad Air models next month while we look ahead to the other iPad models and a full lineup of M4-based Macs arriving starting later this year. We also heard some fresh rumors about iOS 18, due to be unveiled at WWDC in a couple of months, while we took a look at how things …
Best Buy this weekend has a big sale on Apple MacBooks and iPads, including new all-time low prices on the M3 MacBook Air, alongside the best prices we’ve ever seen on MacBook Pro, iPad, and more. Some of these deals require a My Best Buy Plus or My Best Buy Total membership, which start at $49.99/year. In addition to exclusive access to select discounts, you’ll get free 2-day shipping, an…
Apple’s iPhone 16 Plus may come in seven colors that either build upon the existing five colors in the standard iPhone 15 lineup or recast them in a new finish, based on a new rumor out of China. According to the Weibo-based leaker Fixed focus digital, Apple’s upcoming larger 6.7-inch iPhone 16 Plus model will come in the following colors, compared to the colors currently available for the…
Apple will begin updating its Mac lineup with M4 chips in late 2024, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. The M4 chip will be focused on improving performance for artificial intelligence capabilities. Last year, Apple introduced the M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max chips all at once in October, so it’s possible we could see the M4 lineup come during the same time frame. Gurman says that the entire…
Apple today said it removed Game Boy emulator iGBA from the App Store for violating the company’s App Review Guidelines related to spam (section 4.3) and copyright (section 5.2), but it did not provide any specific details.
iGBA was a copycat version of developer Riley Testut’s open-source GBA4iOS app, which has long been distributed outside the App Store. The emulator rose towards the top of the App Store charts following its release this weekend, but users on social media complained that the app was a blatant ripoff overlaid with ads.
“So apparently Apple approved a knock-off of GBA4iOS,” said Testut, in a Threads post on Saturday. “I did not give anyone permission to do this, yet it’s now sitting at the top of the charts (despite being filled with ads + tracking).” He quipped that he was “so glad App Review exists to protect consumers from scams and rip-offs like this.”
It is unclear if Apple removed iGBA because it felt the app ripped off GBA4iOS. We have asked Apple for clarification about the app’s removal, and we will update this article if we receive any additional information about the decision.
iGBA lets iPhone users play Game Boy games by loading free ROMs downloaded from the web. ROMs can be found online for a wide variety of games, including those from the popular Pokémon and The Legend of Zelda franchises. The emulator can still be used by those who installed it on their iPhones before it was removed from the App Store.
On its customer support website in the U.S., Nintendo says downloading pirated copies of its games is illegal. It is unclear if Nintendo sent a complaint to Apple about iGBA, and whether that may have been a factor in the app’s removal.
An excerpt from section 5.2 of the App Review Guidelines, related to intellectual property:
Make sure your app only includes content that you created or that you have a license to use. Your app may be removed if you’ve stepped over the line and used content without permission. Of course, this also means someone else’s app may be removed if they’ve “borrowed” from your work.
iGBA appeared in the App Store just over a week after Apple updated its App Review Guidelines to permit “retro game console emulators,” but it is inevitably not yet certain what Apple will allow exactly following the app’s prompt removal.
As for Testut, he went on to create another Nintendo game emulator called Delta, which is distributed outside of the App Store. Delta will also be available through Testut’s alternative app marketplace AltStore on iPhones in the EU. It is not clear if he plans to make Delta available in the App Store following the rule change.
We knew it was going to happen, and now it has: the first game emulators are appearing in the iOS App Store, after Apple responded to increasing regulatory pressure by relaxing its rules on the type of apps it would accept.
As spotted by AppleInsider, we’ve already got Emu64 XL (for the Commodore 64) and iGBA (for the Game Boy Advance and Game Boy Color). Both are free to install for the iPhone and the iPad, and don’t come with any in-app purchases.
That means you can point the emulators to compatible disk files, which then run as the original games would have done on the original hardware. It’s likely that more emulators will follow these two as well.
A word of warning though: in most parts of the world, the only way to use these emulators legally is by ripping the code from the original disks or cartridges that you’ve already paid for – otherwise you could find yourself on the wrong side of the law.
App Store changes
You can now get Emu64 XL on your iPhone (Image credit: Emu64 XL)
These emulators are widely available on Android, but haven’t been seen on iOS before now. Apple made the change to its App Review Guidelines earlier this month – and while Apple didn’t explicitly say so, it’s probably because it’s under increasing scrutiny in the US and the EU when it comes to the third-party software allowed to run on its devices.
The change has come with some caveats attached, however. Emulators are held responsible for all the software that can be loaded inside the apps, and must comply with “all applicable laws” in the regions they’re used in – which brings us back to the rather gray area of the legality of emulators.
The success or otherwise of these emulators might come down to the attitude of the manufacturers who made the devices they’re emulating. Nintendo has traditionally been very strict on blocking emulation software, for example.
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Where there’s demand though, the apps will follow: as 9to5Mac points out, the iGBA app mentioned above is actually a copy of an open source emulator, with embedded ads inserted. We can expect this new arrangement to take some time to settle down.
Toward the end of the 2010s, my family and I were getting into the habit of traveling outside of England for our family holiday. We had a lovely holiday in 2019 in the South of France and enjoyed the sun, the pool, and the glorious French bakeries. Upon returning to a more gloomy climate, we began dreaming of another trip the following year. Anyone who hasn’t been sleeping under a rock will know why that holiday never happened.
A few years later, the conversations started happening again. The thought of being restricted to our little country felt too much to bear, so we found ourselves scouring the web for a new destination to enjoy some guaranteed summer sun. We landed on a beautiful cottage near Toulouse, France, and we began putting all the necessary plans in place.
Homescreen heroes
This is part of a regular series of articles exploring the apps that we couldn’t live without. Read them all here.
Our family conversations quickly turned to us trying to remember the French that we had ‘learnt’ back in school. It seemed so long ago, and all we could manage was telling people our names and that we would like mushrooms for dinner. Nothing very useful. We needed help.
I opened the app store and searched for ‘learn a language’. Up came the usual suspects of Duolingo and Memrise, along with an app I had never heard of called Babbel. I was intrigued by the features that included an AI speech recognition tool, an everyday conversations tool, and a podcast learning feature.
(Image credit: Future)
Without too much persuading, I downloaded the app and launched it. As is common with a lot of apps nowadays, I was then asked a series of questions that the app would use to customize my experience. I love this approach. It allows me to be specific about my current level of French language ability and get more out of the app.
After around a dozen questions, I began browsing the interface to get an idea of what was on offer. I found the overall interface easy to navigate, and the free version treated me to a single lesson to get a feel for how it works. After a pleasant initial experience, I felt full of hope and excitement and decided to go all in and get the full subscription.
(Image credit: Future)
The first step involved choosing the right course based on ability. My level of French, as I’ve previously admitted, is rudimentary at best. I began with the ‘Newcomer 1’ course. Through a series of questions and word-matching exercises, the app guides you through learning new words and phrases. Each word is read out perfectly, so you can get an idea of how words are pronounced.
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I remember my French lessons at school very clearly. Shame and embarrassment seem to die slowly. The process of thinking you’re saying a word correctly only to be told by your teacher that you’re pronunciation is atrocious is memorable. It’s also incredibly useful feedback that is integrated into the lessons. It’s not quite the same as having your own personal teacher, but the app does let you know if you’re pronunciation is in the vicinity of correct or not.
I found the practice part of the lessons to be the most useful. They were not only helpful but also far more engaging than simple word matching and vocabulary practice. In the same vein, I also really enjoyed the ‘Everyday Conversations’ feature, which transports you into the middle of a simulated conversation and invites you to play your part in it. This steps up simple practice and provides the necessary adrenaline required to make you feel like you’re in a real conversation.
(Image credit: Future)
Another feature that I’ve not had the confidence to try yet is ‘Babbel Live’. It was launched during the pandemic and is designed to boost learning through live classes with teachers. There are a wide variety of classes but keep in mind that you’ll need an additional ‘Live Subscription’ to access them. I also like the fact that each class only includes up to 6 people.
So far, I have enjoyed my Babbel experience and feel more confident than ever. My trip to France is still a few months away, but I’m now excited about doing all the classic touristy things with the confidence that I’ll be able to understand something of what people are saying and interact with them accordingly.
Babble has a range of different prices, including £47.94 for 6 months, £65.88 for 12 months, and even offer £211.99 for a lifetime subscription. In the US, prices range from $17.99 a month to three-month plans for $45.99 to $107.99 for a 12-month, all-language plan.
It was not entirely clear if Apple would allow emulators to work with any games, but iGBA is able to load any Game Boy ROMs that users download from the web and open via the Files app on the iPhone. Accordingly, it seems like there are no game restrictions for emulators, unless Apple mistakenly approved iGBA on the App Store.
iGBA works with Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance games. It is important to note that it can be illegal to possess certain ROMs from game developers, but homebrew Game Boy games are typically in the clear.
iGBA appears to be a copy of Riley Testut’s open-source GBA4iOS emulator, but with ads that can track users. GBA4iOS is the predecessor to Testut’s current Nintendo game emulator Delta, which can be installed on the iPhone outside of the App Store, and will soon be available through his alternative app marketplace AltStore on iPhones in the EU. It is not clear if Testut plans to make Delta available in the App Store following the rule change.
iOS 18 is expected to be the “biggest” update in the iPhone’s history. Below, we recap rumored features and changes for the iPhone. iOS 18 is rumored to include new generative AI features for Siri and many apps, and Apple plans to add RCS support to the Messages app for an improved texting experience between iPhones and Android devices. The update is also expected to introduce a more…
Apple’s iPhone 16 Plus may come in seven colors that either build upon the existing five colors in the standard iPhone 15 lineup or recast them in a new finish, based on a new rumor out of China. According to the Weibo-based leaker Fixed focus digital, Apple’s upcoming larger 6.7-inch iPhone 16 Plus model will come in the following colors, compared to the colors currently available for the…
Apple will begin updating its Mac lineup with M4 chips in late 2024, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. The M4 chip will be focused on improving performance for artificial intelligence capabilities. Last year, Apple introduced the M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max chips all at once in October, so it’s possible we could see the M4 lineup come during the same time frame. Gurman says that the entire…
Apple’s hardware roadmap was in the news this week, with things hopefully firming up for a launch of updated iPad Pro and iPad Air models next month while we look ahead to the other iPad models and a full lineup of M4-based Macs arriving starting later this year. We also heard some fresh rumors about iOS 18, due to be unveiled at WWDC in a couple of months, while we took a look at how things …
Best Buy this weekend has a big sale on Apple MacBooks and iPads, including new all-time low prices on the M3 MacBook Air, alongside the best prices we’ve ever seen on MacBook Pro, iPad, and more. Some of these deals require a My Best Buy Plus or My Best Buy Total membership, which start at $49.99/year. In addition to exclusive access to select discounts, you’ll get free 2-day shipping, an…
Save $140 on Swiftscan VIP and turn your iPhone into a scanner. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
While the world is increasingly going digital, paper documents are still in use and need to be incorporated into your workflow. The Swiftscan VIP app bridges the gap between paper and digital by turning your iPhone into a convenient scanning and faxing multitool. And right now, it’s on sale at the best price you’ll find online.
Swiftscan VIP: Fax and scan app for iPhone
The SwiftScan app uses your iPhone’s camera to take photos of documents at a 200 dpi resolution or higher depending on your needs. Your scans can be saved as JPGs to save space for quick attachment to expense reports and emails, or as PDFs to incorporate into document designs and other high-quality publishing applications. (Cult of Mac named SwiftScan an “Awesome App” because of its PDF-handling capabilities.)
This powerful iPhone scanning app carefully enhances the images it captures. Automatic adjustments correct for color, remove blur, locate the image’s edges, crop out extraneous background details, and deal with other artifacts so you receive a crisp image every time. You can apply optical character recognition to any scan to make the text searchable. And automatic naming will add data like the date and location for easy organizing.
Multipage scans, auto-capture mode and more
SwiftScan also features a range of tools to quickly get work into the digital realm. Multipage scans let you turn a complex document into a single PDF. Auto-capture mode can quickly create a scan of a single document. The scanning app can automatically read QR codes and barcodes in the document, too.
SwiftScan’s editing tools allow you to annotate, mark up, revise and redact content as needed. You can quickly reorder or remove pages for clarity, right on your touchscreen. And document sharing becomes dead simple. You can sync your scans to your current cloud service, send them out via email or chat, or even fax them.
Save on Swiftscan, a multipurpose scanning app for iPhone
Audio brand Sonos may soon completely redesign its S2 app by making it easier to set up its devices as well as “strengthen connectivity between its many speakers.” It’ll also introduce several new customization options. This nugget of information comes from TheVerge which claims to have received screenshots of the revamp from sources close to the matter.
According to the report, the company is removing all the navigation tabs at the bottom, replacing tabs with a search bar to help soundbar owners find music quickly. The home screen will serve as a central hub consisting of “scrollable carousels” housing playlists and direct access to streaming services.
Of course, you will be allowed to customize the layout to your liking. You can tweak the settings of a soundbar through the “Your System” section on the app.
The Now Playing screen will see revisions as well. Both the shuffle and repeat buttons are going to be present on the page. Plus, the volume slider in the mini-player will appear “no matter where you are in the app.”
Love it or hate it
For some people on the internet, this update has been a long time coming. The Verge shared links to posts from the Sonos subreddit of people complaining about how terrible the S2 app is. One of the more passionate rants talks about the software’s poor functionality, as the Redditor was unable to turn off their speaker’s alarms remotely despite it being connected.
Most of the reviews on app stores are positive, however several users on the Google Play Store listing do complain about an unintuitive UI and strange connection problems. People either love S2 or they hate it. There doesn’t seem to be any real middle ground.
The Verge states the S2 update will roll out for Android and iOS on May 7th although the date could change.
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Future plans
It’s worth mentioning that this isn’t the first time we’ve heard about the redesign.
Back in February, Bloomberg published a report detailing some of Sonos’ plans for 2024, such as their focus on a “revamped mobile app codenamed Passport.” At a glance, it appears Passport is the future S2 upgrade. Originally, the update was supposed to come in March, but the brand ran into development issues and were forced to delay it.
Bloomberg’s piece goes on to mention two new Sonos devices, codenamed Duke and Disco. The latter is said to be a set of earbuds able to connect to Wi-Fi. It’s supposed to be a Sonos take on Apple Airpods.
Not much is known about the Duke, but it does share a name with a pair of Sonos headphones that were discovered back in late March on the Bluetooth SIG website. 91Mobiles dug through the page revealing the device could allow music streaming over Wi-Fi, it’s slated for a June launch, and should cost $450. These next couple of months are looking to be a busy time for Sonos. But as always, take the info in this leak with a grain of salt.
The Google Play Store app on Android phones and tablets is experiencing a weird bug, which may annoy you if you frequently check for app and game updates. On some phones, the app shortcut to see your installed apps disappears in certain scenarios.
Google Play Store bug for My Apps shortcut
As spotted by 9To5Google, the Google Play Store is experiencing a bug on Android phones and tablets. The My Apps app shortcut, which is used to see currently installed apps and available app updates, sometimes disappears, making it harder to access your apps and app updates. You can see one such instance in the screenshot (on the left) below.
There’s a workaround to get the My Apps shortcut back. Click on the App Info shortcut and navigate to Play Store » Storage & Cache » Clear Storage. However, with this workaround, you must again set purchase authentication. So, that’s additional work that might annoy you.
Hopefully, Google knows about this bug and will release a fix for this issue. Keep an eye out for an update to the Google Play Store app on your Galaxy smartphone or tablet. You can check for the update by navigating to Settings » About » Update Play Store.
Automattic, the company behind popular web management system WordPress, has purchased Beeper and will absorb Beeper’s 27 employees. Beeper made headlines back in December for Beeper Mini, an app that brought iMessage to Android devices.
Beeper Mini used reverse engineered iMessage protocols and encryption, taking advantage of Apple’s own iMessage servers to let Android users send “blue bubble” texts to iPhone users without an Apple ID. The app supported all iMessage functionality, including read receipts, typing indictors, reactions, and end-to-end encryption.
Apple was not happy with Beeper Mini using its iMessage servers, and it blocked the Beeper Mini app. Beeper tried workarounds, but after suggesting Android users acquire a jailbroken iPhone to get the service to work, the company gave up on the idea.
After Apple blocked Beeper Mini from working, both the FTC and the U.S. Department of Justice met with Beeper CEO Eric Migicovsky. Beeper Mini was ultimately mentioned in the DoJ’s antitrust filing against Apple, with the DoJ suggesting it was a “fix” for the broken Android to iPhone cross-platform messaging issue.
Automattic does not plan to revive Beeper Mini, but is instead taking on Beeper, a universal chat app available for Android, iOS, and desktop devices. Beeper is able to integrate with multiple chat networks with a universal inbox, though it does not currently work with iMessage.
In a post announcing the acquisition by Automattic, Beeper CEO Eric Migicovsky said that Beeper is “cautiously optimistic about the future” because the DoJ has “sued Apple for blocking Beeper Mini’s access to iMessage.”
Going forward, Migicovsky will serve as Automattic’s Head of Messaging, and Beeper will operate as an independent team. With the acquisition, Beeper is no longer in beta and has officially launched.
