Apple allows game streaming on iOS, but demands approval and a 30% cut

Apple today loosened its iOS App Store Review Guidelines for streaming games from services such as Microsoft xCloud, Google Stadia, and Nvidia GeForce Now. But Apple still restricts how users pay for the games and requires that it get its 30% cut on game sales. While the move helps Apple keep up with the world of game streaming, it makes buying new games through iOS inconvenient for players.

Apple is permitting services to stream games to players, meaning they can host the game in cloud-connected servers and send videos of the gameplay back so players can access games they haven’t downloaded or play games that their phone or tablet hardware wouldn’t otherwise support. You could, for instance, play Red Dead Redemption 2 on Google Stadia on an iPhone or iPad.