In the first quarter of this year, Apple published a blog post on its developer site to announce that the App Store was now accepting cloud gaming apps. This change, which affected Europe, the United States and the rest of the world, did not Microsoft is apparently still not happy with the idea, as it is reportedly facing problems with Xbox Cloud Gaming on the App Store.
Apple and Microsoft, Xbox Cloud Gaming is still at the heart of a problem
Cloud gaming has been a particularly sensitive topic for Apple for many years. Until this year, the company flatly refused to accept cloud gaming apps on its App Store, preferring an approach where each user had to download each game individually. This strategy was intended to maintain a consistent user experience, but also to maximize Apple’s control over transactions made through the App Store.
To get around these restrictions, services like Netflix have had to adapt, launching each game in their Netflix Games catalog as a separate app. In January 2024, Apple introduced new guidelines for the App Store, finally allowing cloud gaming apps. This change appears to have been motivated by pressure from the European Commission, which wants changes to Apple’s policy, as well as growing expectations from gamers and companies like Microsoft and Nvidia, which are investing heavily in cloud gaming.
Following Apple’s statement, it was expected that these new guidelines would facilitate the development of services like Xbox Cloud Gaming. However, six months later, Microsoft has still not announced a version of its service for the App Store. This prolonged silence has raised questions and it seems that there are reasons!
A report from The Vergereveals that Microsoft has filed a request with Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) from the UK. According to Microsoft, despite Apple’s new guidelines, the company is still making it difficult for cloud gaming services to exist on the App Store. Microsoft points out two major problems. First, Apple’s requirements for in-app purchases remain a barrier. Apple is not taking a simplified approach to cloud gaming apps. Second, Apple’s rules prohibiting links to external sites for the purchase of digital content further complicate the situation (for App Stores outside Europe).
Microsoft today concluded that Apple’s changes have made it impossible for cloud gaming services to offer their apps on the App Store. While these apps can now pass the vetting process by the App Store teams, the real challenges begin once approval is obtained, due to restrictions on external links and in-app purchases.
Apple sees no problem
In response to these criticisms, Apple responded in August, the company highlighted several points. Apple Park recalled the existence of cloud gaming services already present on the App Store and its role in the success of these services. Apple also highlighted the technologies it has developed to make gaming possible on iOS, its support for web applications and its constant dialogue with developers. As an example, Apple mentioned AntStreama cloud gaming service currently available on the App Store, while adding that several other services were in development. For Apple, the accusations of excessive constraints on cloud gaming are simply unfounded, the company even implying that Microsoft is a bit in “abuse”.
Currently, Xbox Cloud Gaming is accessible on iPhone, but only through Safari, which offers a subpar experience than a native app distributed on the App Store could provide. To access it, users must go to Xbox.com/play and sign in with their Microsoft account.
Xbox Cloud Gaming lets you play console games directly from the cloud, without the need for downloads. Users can access a wide selection of Xbox games on their smartphone, tablet, PC or console, as long as they have an internet connection. This solution offers great flexibility, allowing them to play anywhere without being limited by device storage space.