What exactly happened? Facebook has been trying to get its Facebook Gaming app approved in Apple’s App Store since February, only to see it rejected five times. Then this week it finally got the approval, but only after removing a feature that gave access to mini-games. This is because Apple has received a barrage of criticism for its App Store policies and fees.
Microsoft has just announced plans to bring its xCloud game streaming service to iPhone and iPad users, and officially unveiled this beta test program this week. In an ideal world, the Redmond giant xCloud could mix with the extensive game library available to people who purchase Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. However, Apple told Business Insider that cloud services like xCloud simply could not enter the App Store due to the company’s strict rating guidelines.
In its current form, game streaming services provide access to games that Apple cannot individually control to ensure that they align with the same set of performance, security, and privacy standards as the rest of the apps allowed in the App Store.
Of course, Microsoft is not happy about the matter, that it will launch xCloud on Android only next month. The company is still looking for ways to bring the service to iOS users, but judging by Apple’s statement, there is only one way – “submit games individually for review, and appear in charts and searches.”
Facebook feels Microsoft’s frustration with today’s release of its Facebook Gaming app. Facebook Gaming is mostly designed as an alternative to Twitch and YouTube where people can watch streamers playing video games, but the social giant also wanted to include a series of mini-games that people can play to pass the time.
Apple has denied the app several times, even after Facebook shared some telemetry that Android users of the app spend around 95 percent of the time in the streaming section. Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg said that after removing the mini-game feature, Apple was more than happy to allow Facebook Gaming in the App Store.
Sandberg is of the opinion that it is not fair that iOS users only allow an “inferior experience” for those on Android. She added that “we continue to focus on building communities for the more than 380 million people who play games on Facebook every month – whether Apple allows it in a standalone app or not.”
Apple has recently come under fire for App Store policies and high commissions, as many developers think they will be forced to play by the Cupertino giant’s rules with no alternative way to target iOS users . For example, Valve got the Steam Link app approved for iOS and tvOS only after removing the ability to purchase Steam games from within the app.
Last month, Apple CEO Tim Cook was questioned by members of Congress about these issues, but offered only the typical statement we have heard many times before – that Apple keeps all apps to high standards and does not allow anything that does not meet its guidelines to have a secure App Store for iOS users. In the EU, the company is subject to an anti-trust probe in these practices which could end up with a multi-billion dollar fine.
