Apple has released a statement explaining its stance on why Microsoft’s xCloud and Google’s Stadia cloud gaming services for streaming services are not available in the App Store for iPhone and iPad. In its statement, Apple missed the point why users and businesses complained publicly, and instead stuck to its old routine of talking about the benefits and features of the App Store.
Microsoft has publicly announced that it will not be bringing its xCloud streaming service to iOS and will stop testing early, as Apple’s App Store policies do not allow the service to operate in the intended state.
Here is the full statement provided to Business Insider by Apple:
The App Store was created to be a safe and trusted place for customers to discover and download apps, and a great business opportunity for all developers. Before they go to our store, all apps are tested against the same set of guidelines that are meant to protect customers and provide an honest and fair playing field to developers.
Our customers enjoy great apps and games from millions of developers, and gaming services can absolutely launch in the App Store, as long as they follow the same set of guidelines that apply to all developers, including submitting games individually for review, and appear in charts and search. In addition to the App Store, developers can choose to reach all iPhone and iPad users via the web via Safari and other browsers in the App Store.
Business Insider has interpreted this statement as Apple’s unwillingness to publish such apps, as it cannot offer any of the games offered by these services. This makes no sense at all, because Spotify and Netflix also stream a lot of content that does not need Apple’s rating. The content of Spotify and Netflix, along with streaming content from many other services, also does not appear in search results for Apple’s TV or iTunes apps, or their associated charts.
In response to Apple’s statement, Microsoft released a new statement and called on Apple to stand alone as the only general purpose platform that maintains cloud gaming via Xbox Game Pass.
Our trial period for the Project xCloud preview app for iOS has expired. Unfortunately, we have no way of bringing our vision on cloud gaming with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate to gamers on iOS through the Apple App Store. Apple stands alone as the sole general purpose platform to deny consumers cloud games and subscription services such as Xbox Game Pass. And it consistently treats gaming apps differently, applying more linear rules to non-gaming apps, even if they include interactive content. All games available in the Xbox Game Pass catalog are rated for content by independent industry review bodies such as the ESRB and regional equivalents. We are committed to finding a way to bring cloud games with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate to the iOS platform. We believe the customer should be the heart of the gaming experience and gamers tell us they want to play, connect and share everywhere, no matter where they are. We agree.
Apple’s primary goal seems to be to maintain control over the App Store and the apps and games that are allowed to officially exist on iPhone and iPad. The company is apparently afraid of losing control by letting games work in ways it cannot control, which could set a precedent for third-party developers to rely on platforms like xCloud and Stadia to bring their games to the iPhone and iPad instead of using the App Store.
Whether Apple will do just that for its customers and change their policies soon is unclear. Facebook Gaming has just launched without games after waiting months for Apple to enter. The best bet for gamers who want to take advantage of their smartphones xCloud and Stadia is to use Android.
