Apple Updates App Store Review Guidelines to Allow Streaming Game Services That Submit Each Game to the App Store [Updated]

[Stuey3D]

Apple doesn't review the code of games and apps on the App Store. No change here.

What do they review then when they take ages to approve an app? They are clearly reviewing something more than Google does with the play store.

This is a genuine question, I’m not a developer so I don’t know how the review process works. I just assumed developer submits app to store and Apple inspects it for anything dodgy like a virus embedded in the app.

 

[hovscorpion12]

Okay. here me out. Both Google and MSFT suck when it comes to game catalog. Neither app offers a search function.

if the App Store now acts like a Apple version of steam, I would not mind. For example, RDR2 is on Stadia. You can still buy it on stadia.com, but you can also buy on the App Store. Once purchase your linked account will reflected on the stadia app. If Apple adds a dedicated Stadia/xCloud gaming tab, I can see this working. Like Steam.

 

[Blue Hawk]

Wait what...? "Streaming games" must be downloaded directly from the App Store?

Apple in 2022 - Netflix has to offer its shows in the iTunes Store. xD

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

For those who are saying that this is the same as Netflix having to offer everyone of its TV shows and movies as individual apps, it’s really not. All the Netflix, YouTube, Hulu, Disney+ apps are video viewers. That is all they do, they play video files.
Also, Apple does review those. Remember when they removed Tumblr last year because of content on its service?

 

[4jasontv]

Game streaming is also just streaming video with user inputs. How is that a "very very different situation"?

The same way that driving a motorcycle and driving a car are very different.
The same way that going to a theater and watching pay-per-view at home are very different.
The same way that wearing a baseball hat an wearing a veil are very different.
The same way that running and walking are very different.
The same way eating and drinking are very different.
The same way that reading and listening are very different.

Streaming video is fundamentally very different than streaming games. The interaction with them is different, the price people are willing to pay for them is different, and the data collected by external servers differ.

And lets not forget one really important thing: it's 100% Apple's call over who can list things in the app store, and they have every right to make distinctions between one app and another. Heck, Apple could set new rules about ads and remove Hulu if it wanted.

 

[69Mustang]

Explain?
If I’m understanding this correctly, a company like Microsoft can make a XCloud app, that lists everything available in that service.
If you tap on something to download it, it opens an App Store page where you can download. To me, it just makes the type of sense that Apple likes, and it’s enough of a compromise to make companies like Microsoft and Google happy. Not epic though, they will still rage all day

This guideline change does nothing to get XCloud on iOS. Games on XCloud aren't downloaded at all, and most importantly, make no sense at all to be downloaded... especially on an iOS device. Games on XCloud probably weigh on average around 50GB. Some of the AAA titles like Forza Motorsport, Monster Hunter, Red Dead Redemption 2... they're over 100GB. App Store games are typically weight in MB, not GB. Magnitudes of difference.

XCloud exists to allow people to play the AAA games at a minimal cost and minimal system impact. Apple's change in guidelines does nothing to help the end user play large AAA titles.

The only way services like XCloud and Stadia are going to make it on iOS/iPadOS is if Apple treats the XCloud/Stadia apps just like they treat Netflix and other services streaming on the H.265 codec... which is the codec XCloud uses.

 

[Rogifan]

Apple Arcade has everyone of its apps as individual apps. I might not fully agree with it, but at least they’re being equal here. The only thing I wish they would do is separate Apple Arcade into its own app

But those are still native apps. They just happen to be exclusive to a subscription service. What Apple seems to be saying here is xCloud can’t be it’s own app library and all the apps that are part of that service need to be listed in Apple’s App Store. Why? They’re not iOS apps that will be running natively on the device.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

This guideline change does nothing to get XCloud on iOS. Games on XCloud aren't downloaded at all, and most importantly, make no sense at all to be downloaded... especially on an iOS device. Games on XCloud probably weigh on average around 50GB. Some of the AAA titles like Forza Motorsport, Monster Hunter, Red Dead Redemption 2... they're over 100GB. App Store games are typically weight in MB, not GB. Magnitudes of difference.

XCloud exists to allow people to play the AAA games at a minimal cost and minimal system impact. Apple's change in guidelines does nothing to help the end user play large AAA titles.

The only way services like XCloud and Stadia are going to make it on iOS/iPadOS is if Apple treats the XCloud/Stadia apps just like they treat Netflix and other services streaming on the H.265 codec... which is the codec XCloud uses.

it would download a small .ipa file that would give access to the game, not the actual game. The game is still stream via the Internet.

 

[Stella]

Each Game? Wow, 1 step forward, one step back.

Streaming games isn't much different than streaming TV / movie content. Netflix, Amazon aren't forced to list each individual item from their library.

 

[4jasontv]

the game runs on remote servers and are not downloaded to your device. you play a streamed video of the rendered game. apple's policy is absurd.

To me this reads that Apple requires each game to have a separate launcher. This would allow them to review games easier, simplify launching of specific games, and ensure they can collect payment if users are allowed to buy access to a single game.

 

[69Mustang]

There you go Epic, you don't need a lawsuit to get things changed.

This has nothing to do with the Epic/Apple situation. Too many people are forming arguments based on that mistake.

 

[4jasontv]

Streaming games „must be downloaded“ huh???

I read that as each games launcher has to be downloaded. This allows companies to offer streaming games but not cause issues where multiple games are tied into a single app but the end user only has access to the one game they paid to play on iOS.

 

[jonblatho]

What do they review then when they take ages to approve an app? They are clearly reviewing something more than Google does with the play store.

This is a genuine question, I’m not a developer so I don’t know how the review process works. I just assumed developer submits app to store and Apple inspects it for anything dodgy like a virus embedded in the app.

They don’t usually take ages to approve apps. I’ve had updates submitted for review and out on the store in less than a day (usually it’s been 1–2 days, though). They do not receive apps’ source code, ever, as part of app review; they only receive the binaries along with metadata like an API analysis file.

 

[0092762]

The same way that driving a motorcycle and driving a car are very different.
The same way that going to a theater and watching pay-per-view at home are very different.
The same way that wearing a baseball hat an wearing a veil are very different.
The same way that running and walking are very different.
The same way eating and drinking are very different.
The same way that reading and listening are very different.

Streaming video is fundamentally very different than streaming games. The interaction with them is different, the price people are willing to pay for them is different, and the data collected by external servers differ.

And lets not forget one really important thing: it's 100% Apple's call over who can list things in the app store, and they have every right to make distinctions between one app and another. Heck, Apple could set new rules about ads and remove Hulu if it wanted.

BS analogies, in the end you're streaming video from a server and giving inputs. In fact, how is it different than the Black Mirror Bandersnatch or Minecraft Story Mode in Netflix? You know Minecraft story mode in Netflix is ALSO available as a separate game to purchase in the iOS app store that runs natively on your iOS device? How did Apple allow that?

Of course Apple can do whatever it wishes with its store and its treating game streaming differently. I think it's short sighted, since the Netflix/Prime Video model seems to work out fine with them and they get the cut from subscriptions/IAP's if done from the iOS device itself.

This is probably done intentionally to distance Apple from gaming altogether, because they probably know no one, not even Microsoft is going to go through the trouble to make a separate game app for streaming on the app store.

 

[4jasontv]

I hope Apple follows its own rules. Remove arcade from the App Store, make it its own app, and bring the updates tab back.
Then, if you have the arcade app on your phone, you can use it to link to every single game. Every game will have its own App Store page, so when you tap an app from the arcade user interface, it will open an App Store page where you can download it.

Isn't Apple Arcade just a section of the apps store? I thought each game was download individually.

 

[69Mustang]

Because while playing a game, you might be forced to pay for a part of that game. A level or something like that.
If you have a Netflix subscription, all the Netflix app does is show you the video. It’s just a video viewer. You don’t watch stranger things episode one, then you get through half of episode two and you have to complete an in app purchase to watch the second half.
Same with YouTube

Please stop. It's fairly obvious you are very unfamiliar with how XCloud/Stadia game streaming works. Your contributions here are doing nothing but adding to the cloud of confusion surrounding the topic. Almost without exception, everything you've written has been incorrect.

 

[falainber]

It's a cosmetic change. Apple still wants to have a direct "relationship" with the game developers and charge 30% fee. It's like requiring that all film studios that have movies on Netflix had an Apple Account and every movie would be explicitly registered with Apple and approved by it. It's just an agony on Apple part. They will be "corrected" by the government(s).

 

[4jasontv]

BS analogies, in the end you're streaming video from a server and giving inputs. In fact, how is it different than the Black Mirror Bandersnatch or Minecraft Story Mode in Netflix? You know Minecraft story mode in Netflix is ALSO available as a separate game in the app store?

It sounds like they are changing the rules to make them clearer and simplify the approval process. I don't use netflix or play mindcraft, so I have no idea what you are talking about. All that is clear is that streaming movies and streaming games are different enough to justify different rules.

 

[mciarlo]

😶

 

[dguisinger]

What do they review then when they take ages to approve an app? They are clearly reviewing something more than Google does with the play store.

This is a genuine question, I’m not a developer so I don’t know how the review process works. I just assumed developer submits app to store and Apple inspects it for anything dodgy like a virus embedded in the app.

Not really. Apple has automated tests to make sure the app doesn't have malware and that it isn't calling private system APIs that might change or are off-limits to developers. They do a little user acceptance testing but honestly the reviewers have to do something like 200 apps a day per person, so they don't spend much time looking for anything that isn't blatantly obvious

 

[spaceballl]

This is so stupid. Nobody had to get Tiger King from the iTunes store to watch it.

 

[4jasontv]

the game runs on remote servers and are not downloaded to your device. you play a streamed video of the rendered game. apple's policy is absurd.

You have to download a launcher for the game. Seems reasonable.

 

[Rychiar]

pretty sure people are going to try xcloud on their iphones for 2 weeks then stop because it isn’t that great of an experience

who cares about iPhone? I want this stuff on Apple TV.

 

[Stuey3D]

They don’t usually take ages to approve apps. I’ve had updates submitted for review and out on the store in less than a day (usually it’s been 1–2 days, though). They do not receive apps’ source code, ever.

Now I genuinely thought Apple did a bit more of a deep inspection when reviewing an app, I mean what is to stop some shady developer sticking viruses in their app, ok iOS sandboxing limits their effectiveness but they could still be added for some reason.

Yet you don’t seem to hear much about apps being removed from the Apple App Store for malware like you do the Google Play store, I just always assumed it was because Apple did a bit more of an inspection of the apps first. It could just be that Apple are better at hiding it maybe?

 

[Rogifan]

The same way that driving a motorcycle and driving a car are very different.
The same way that going to a theater and watching pay-per-view at home are very different.
The same way that wearing a baseball hat an wearing a veil are very different.
The same way that running and walking are very different.
The same way eating and drinking are very different.
The same way that reading and listening are very different.

Streaming video is fundamentally very different than streaming games. The interaction with them is different, the price people are willing to pay for them is different, and the data collected by external servers differ.

And lets not forget one really important thing: it's 100% Apple's call over who can list things in the app store, and they have every right to make distinctions between one app and another. Heck, Apple could set new rules about ads and remove Hulu if it wanted.

What does this have to do with Apple’s rules? Forcing all games from a streaming service to be their own listing in the App Store seems unnecessary. And confusing. They’re not native iOS games so why should they be listed in the App Store?