iOS 14: 'Phoenix 2' Space Shooter Delivers Playable Demo via App Clips

[Cosmosent]

Just to go a bit off-topic regarding gaming in Apple devices:

Some people dismiss Apple Silicon coming to macs (and windows going away) as a blow to gaming in macs, I, to the contrary, think this is the biggest thing to happen to macOS gaming, because now you can develop a single binary to target iPhones, iPads, iPod touches, AppleTVs and Macs, every current game designed for iOS will be playable on the Mac. Hopefully a stream of triple A, keyboard/controller supported games will make their way to Apple Silicon/Metal Macs with the performance Intel IG havent been able to deliver...

I don't dismiss it, IMO, that's most if its Target Market.

The other simply being Hobbyists.

 

[scheming]

Also, I ended up downloading the whole game and didn't really pay attention to whether I was paying anything for it, so there's that. I just wanted to keep playing, and I'm sure lots of people will be smarter than I was, but I wonder how this might play out in the future

If the game cost anything then you would be prompted and shown the cost just like when paying for any other game or app from the App Store.

 

[gkarris]

Tried it - interesting - just another mobile shmup - pass....

 

[JosephAW]

Downloaded full app. As soon as it required internet access it was deleted.

 

[gkarris]

Downloaded full app. As soon as it required internet access it was deleted.

Don't most Mobile Games require Internet access?

You start to wonder what these "free previews do", if they scan your phone for sensitive data...

 

[mariusfanu]

Nice!

 

[ArtOfWarfare]

How is this different than playing a flash type game?

It’s a native app, so better performance.

 

[ArtOfWarfare]

Interesting... Apple should take a much smaller cut for purchases that occur via App Clips, since clearly the App Store had zero involvement in discovery of the app.

 

[dannyyankou]

That’s very cool!

 

[tranceking26]

Sweet, this is the answer for the previous lack of demos, nice one!

 

[iStorm]

This was a neat experience. It would be great if App Clips could be surfaced on the app's page in the App Store too, as a way to try out the app before downloading it.

 

[dannyyankou]

Oh, this is gonna get shut down by Apple faster than fast. This was not their intended use case, so it has to go.

So that’s why on Apple’s human interface guidelines page for App Clips they say this-

“Pick a verb for the action button that best fits your App Clip. Possible verbs are View, Play, or Open. Pick View for media, or if your App Clip provides informational or educational content. Pick Play for games. Choose Open for all other App Clips.”

App Clips | Apple Developer Documentation

An App Clip is a lightweight version of your app or game that provides an on-the-go or demo experience that’s instantly available.

developer.apple.com

 

[szw-mapple fan]

Oh, this is gonna get shut down by Apple faster than fast. This was not their intended use case, so it has to go.

App clips are approved by Apple. It has to be tied to an actual App in the App Store to even show up with a system banner in Safari.

 

[grjj]

Don't most Mobile Games require Internet access?

You start to wonder what these "free previews do", if they scan your phone for sensitive data...

They can't.
All the data in your iPhone is kept by the system or other apps. Apps must request access to personal data, and apps don't know each other exist never-mind reading each other's data. Sandboxing and File level encryption are two of the iOS features that keep your stuff private.

For an App Clip to work it must be in the store; the iPhone won't download and run arbitrary code from the web for this.

Distributing your App Clip | Apple Developer Documentation

Archive the full app for your App Clip, upload it to App Store Connect, and distribute it to testers or publish it on the App Store.

developer.apple.com

So there's not going to be anything happening in App Clips that's disallowed in the App Store.

 

[coolfactor]

I dont see any banner. And yes Im in Safari in iOS14 and I dont have the game installed.

Same here. I wonder if it's regional? I'm in Canada and not seeing the Play button.

EDIT: I was in Private Browsing mode.

 

[grayskyz]

If you're not seeing the blue play button, check to see if you are in a "private" tab, the second I opened a regular browser window it worked fine
[automerge]1601239585[/automerge]
If you're not seeing the blue play button, check to see if you are in a "private" tab, the second I opened a regular browser window it worked fine

 

[maxfromdenmark]

It works so smoothly and quick like a charm. I like the new feature. Hope to it will be over all in AppStore

 

[SayCheese]

This is kind of cool. I noticed that it leaves an app icon in your App Library even though there's no app on your phone (correct?). Removing the app clip and icon is not intuitive imo. I'd expect to remove it like any other app -- through jiggle mode. But you have to go in to settings > app clips > Phoenix 2 > delete.

Thanks. I was wondering how to get rid of that.

 

[McKodiak]

Annoyed that Phoenix 2 shows up as a recently installed app in my App Library. Can’t delete it.

 

[JosephAW]

I could see bad characters creating mini apps to entice people to click a link to get malware or your money.

 

[thefourthpope]

Worked as intended. I tried it, liked it, and downloaded the game.

 

[grjj]

I could see bad characters creating mini apps to entice people to click a link to get malware or your money.

Won't happen. As I said earlier, the clip comes from the App Store and has to be vetted by Apple just like any other app. This is not a pathway to run arbitrary code from the web.

 

[ipedro]

Wow. Hard to believe that this game is under 10MB but then again Nintendo cartridges back in the day were a fraction of that. The *entire* Super Mario Bros game was 31kb. KILOBYTES!

 

[topdrawer]

I really wish there would be an “unlimited” option where your credit card gets topped up as you progress, so missiles, armor and upgrades can be charge for swiftly and frictionless, a call by the bank when you’ve reached your credit’s limit is more than enough imho

each shot in the game should literally be a wire transfer.

 

[PickUrPoison]

Annoyed that Phoenix 2 shows up as a recently installed app in my App Library. Can’t delete it.

People have posted a solution several times already, earlier in the thread... I wonder why that didn’t work for you?