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Facebook Criticizes Apple's App Store Policies, Launches Gaming App on iOS Without Games

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Facebook today joined Microsoft in condemning Apple's App Store policies, after the company was forced to remove the games feature from its Facebook Gaming app, which launches today on iOS.

facebook-gaming-app-android.jpg
Facebook Gaming app on Google Play Store​

In a statement given to The Verge, Facebook said it has had its Gaming app rejected multiple times by Apple in recent months, but Apple cited its App Store guidelines to justify the rejections, claiming the primary purpose of the Facebook Gaming app is to play games.

Facebook says it shared usage data with Apple from its Android Facebook Gaming app that showed 95 percent of activity involves watching streams, but it was unable to change Apple's stance on the matter.

Facebook's chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg said it chose to go ahead with the launch of its app in the App Store, but users faced an "inferior" experience compared to Android users.
"Unfortunately, we had to remove gameplay functionality entirely in order to get Apple’s approval on the standalone Facebook Gaming app — meaning iOS users have an inferior experience to those using Android," said Sandberg. "We're staying focused 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."
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A Facebook spokesperson added that it even appealed the guideline under the new app review process that Apple announced at WWDC, but it did not receive a response.

Apple has come in for heavy criticism from rivals and the gaming industry to loosen its App Store restrictions. Just yesterday, Microsoft said its "Project xCloud" streaming game service that pairs with its Xbox Game Pass won't be available on iPhone and iPad when it launches this September.

The company complained that it no longer had a path to bring its vision of cloud gaming with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate to gamers on iOS because Apple "consistently treats gaming apps differently, applying more lenient rules to non-gaming apps even when they include interactive content."

Article Link: Facebook Criticizes Apple's App Store Policies, Launches Gaming App on iOS Without Games
 
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https://www.macrumors.com/2020/08/07/facebook-criticizes-apples-app-store-policies/
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First Microsoft, now Facebook... this is embarrassing for Apple that it allows video streaming competitors like Netflix but not video game streaming competitors. Who knew Apple was so afraid to compete with other platforms because their arbitrary policies likely will turn away devs. I can see the Samsung commercials already where Android users play Xbox and Facebook games. Apple’s App Store really has been dealing the heat on all sides, it is probably only a matter of time before browser downloads are mandated or competing apps (or app stores) are required under antitrust regulations (by Europe, US Supreme Court, or congress).
 
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MacRumors said:
Apple "consistently treats gaming apps differently"
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Do they, though? It's essentially a store within a store, and it's not exactly breaking news that Apple doesn't want that. We can quibble over whether that's good policy, but app review is entirely pointless once an app can contain arbitrary further apps of its own.

The only "fair" solution to this I can see is to allow alternate app stores. Which… maybe? macOS does it.
 
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I don’t think this will make a difference - there’s been plenty of developers who have protested over the past decade and nothing has ever changed because of it.

Either some branch of government needs to force Apple to change what they’re doing, or somebody needs to organize an effective boycott against Apple.

I haven’t bought a new Apple product since 2014, protesting their App Store monopoly, crap software, and absurd pricing, but my wife gifted me both an Apple Watch and AirPods during that time, plus bought herself an iPhone 8+ and an Apple TV for our house. If I weren’t boycotting Apple we’d probably have more/newer iPhones, iPads, and Macs, but my protest feels fake when I can’t stop my wife from gifting their products to me.
 
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[QUOTE="ArtOfWarfare, post: 28751303, member: 141718"

I haven’t bought a new Apple product since 2014, protesting their App Store monopoly, crap software, and absurd pricing, but my wife gifted me both an Apple Watch and AirPods during that time, plus bought herself an iPhone 8+ and an Apple TV for our house. If I weren’t boycotting Apple we’d probably have more/newer iPhones, iPads, and Macs, but my protest feels fake when I can’t stop my wife from gifting their products to me.
[/QUOTE]

 
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mrcloaked said:
Alright, this thing is gonna snowball.
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This is what I'm hoping for. As an Apple user and gamer, this just sucks for me. I want xCloud on my Apple devices. I don't want to jump ship, but if it comes down to it the content/apps/games are more important than the shell that runs them and I'll do what I'm forced to do.

Hopefully Apple gets strong armed publicly through this snowballing and changes stance because it's foolish.
 
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chucker23n1 said:
Do they, though? It's essentially a store within a store, and it's not exactly breaking news that Apple doesn't want that. We can quibble over whether that's good policy, but app review is entirely pointless once an app can contain arbitrary further apps of its own.

The only "fair" solution to this I can see is to allow alternate app stores. Which… maybe? macOS does it.
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You're right. Apple should allow us to review every TV show that comes out on Netflix so that we can know the quality of the content we're paying for.

And with Disney+ now making paid content available on its app (Mulan). They are running a store within a store.
 
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mnsportsgeek said:
You're right. Apple should allow us to review every TV show that comes out on Netflix so that we can know the quality of the content we're paying for.

And with Disney+ now making paid content available on its app (Mulan). They are running a store within a store.
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That's quite different. App review is in part about malware, privacy abuses, etc. Those don't play a role with content.
 
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Geodextro said:
Tim Cook last week: ’We Want to Get Every App We Can on the Store, Not Keep Them Off’

(Unless they may outperform the apps/services we make or we otherwise don’t like them)
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Right. Allowing an outside company to undermine your platform by offering developers a way on to it without Paying you but enriching Facebook would make supporting the expense of the store foolish. It would then be subject to be minimized and later canceled once it became unprofitable. Apple is a business, not charity. Force them to decrease profitability of n a product below 30-35% and it will get canceled.
 
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Appleman3546 said:
First Microsoft, now Facebook... this is embarrassing for Apple that it allows video streaming competitors like Netflix but not video game streaming competitors. Who knew Apple was so afraid to compete with other platforms because their arbitrary policies likely will turn away devs. I can see the Samsung commercials already where Android users play Xbox and Facebook games. Apple’s App Store really has been dealing the heat on all sides, it is probably only a matter of time before browser downloads are mandated or competing apps (or app stores) are required under antitrust regulations (by Europe, US Supreme Court, or congress).
Click to expand...
Question...is it because on this platform coded is being dynamically compiled or dynamically changed? Vs Netflix which probably doesn't have dynamic code compilation?
 
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