A few days ago, Microsoft announced the expansion of its xCloud mobile gaming service to more countries. On September 15, owners of Android devices in Poland will have the opportunity to check over a hundred games available as part of the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription, which can also be run on a smartphone with adapted touch control or with a dedicated controller. And that without having to buy an Xbox One console. IPhone and iPad users were also supposed to benefit from xCloud – it seems, however, that Microsoft and Apple did not get along, which of course will affect all interested players using Apple devices.
xCloud will not hit iPhones. Microsoft is completing the testing phase and will focus on Android
Microsoft officially announced that it is finishing testing the xCloud service for iOS, but this does not mean that it is getting ready for a full premiere. On the contrary. Pauses all work and the team’s focus will be on Android devices. On August 5, the application in TestFlight stopped working, in which 10 thousand. testers had a chance to see how Halo: The Master Chief Collection works without access to the console. Well, they don’t have that option anymore, and it doesn’t look set to change in the near future.
See also: Apple is everywhere. Even e-book sellers are fed up
All the blame lies with Apple and the restrictive regulations of the App Store, which have been bothering the developers of applications prepared for iOS / iPadOS for years. Microsoft representatives did not indicate specific points, although the restrictions related to “remote desktop clients” come to the fore. Such applications can only connect to devices owned by the user and connected to the same network. And in the case of xCloud, it is about the cloud, without the presence of a physical Xbox One console. For the same reason, Stadia is not available on iOS / iPadOS. An additional problem is the inability to bypass the App Store regulations related to in-app purchases, which may make it difficult, for example, to buy add-ons or in-game items offered in the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription.
xCloud on iPhone? Microsoft is letting go and focusing solely on Android
I wonder if Microsoft and Apple will get along on this. The Cupertino company is not willing to give up. Just recall the problems related to Hey.com email. Apple did not want to agree to make the application available in the App Store, as it wanted to avoid in-app payments within the ecosystem by allowing users to pay for subscriptions without Apple. The company did not like it, representatives of both companies exchanged nicks, and it ended as usual – the creators buckled and adjusted their product to the App Store guidelineswhich may be surprising, because for a dozen or so days they compared the company’s policy to actions mafia.
Microsoft has given up for this time and is looking for other partners. Interested in xCloud is Samsung. Both companies decided to cooperate and soon the owners Galaxy Note 20 i Galaxy Tab S7 will have the opportunity to download a special version of the Xbox Game Pass application from the Galaxy Store, which allows you to redeem special tokens and buy add-ons, skins or any other type of DLC. The sets consisting of a new phone, a 3-month subscription to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and a controller are also not surprising, which will allow you to enjoy the game in the cloud without a console.
Update 7.08. Apple is referring to the situation with xCloud
Apple takes the floor on xCloud. In a rather strange way for me, company representatives explain their approach to “gaming in the cloud”. The creators are breaking the App Store regulations – there is no doubt about it for the Cupertino company. The reasons are slightly different. There is no place for them in the store, not because we are dealing with “remote screens” applications or they try to avoid the pricing policy imposed by Apple and the 30% commission that must be returned. The whole point is that Apple will not be able to check and evaluate games that are available on xCloud or Stadia – because they are made available outside the App Store. And the regulations make it clear that this type of content must be assessed in order to guarantee a safe environment for creators and the users themselves.
Apple will gladly and openly embrace these types of applications and services as long as their developers make individual games available for review and make them appear in store searches and lists. I must admit that this translation completely does not appeal to me, the more that all productions available on Xbox consoles, including the xCloud service, are subject to internal Microsoft regulations and in most cases are assessed by game rating systems (such as PEGI or ESRB ). The restrictions imposed by Apple do not apply to, for example, movies, series or music – mainly due to the lack of “interactivity”, which is a key word in the case of games.
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