Once I found out that it was possible, I was like ‘I really wanna make my own app for this.’ I had zero programming experience at that point but my parents believed in me enough to let me have a Mac laptop. "I was obsessed with downloading apps for it.
"I’ve always been interested in computers but it was in seventh grade that I saved up to buy an iPhone 3G." His sister had gotten the phone before him and it had captured his imagination like nothing before in his life. "The first thing I wanted to do was be a video game developer, work for Nintendo, and make lots of cool games," Testut told me over a FaceTime call. You'd never know it from talking to him, though, since he's also one of Apple's biggest fans. Testut's resume has cast him as a central voice in the movement against the tech behemoth. He's since gone on to create AltStore, a legal alternative to the App Store that does not require users to jailbreak their phones. had its way, customers would never use Riley's products again.Īs the creator of GBA4iOS, which allowed iPhone users to play Game Boy Advance games on their devices, Testut was patient zero for the current controversy around Apple's anti-competitive App Store policies. Now, at just 24 years old, he's one of the most beloved iOS developers in the world - but if Apple Inc. When he was growing up, all Riley Testut wanted was to become an app developer.