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Updated App Store rules could reignite hope for iOS Steam Link

Updated App Store rules could reignite hope for iOS Steam Link

Clarification on App Store rules regarding multi platform services could pave the way for finally bringing Steam Link to iOS.

Apple blocked Steam Link’s launch on the platform last month regarding rules around in-app purchases. Valve broke store guidelines around purchases, user-generated content and game codes, threatening Apple’s income stream from in-app purchases by simply streaming a PC storefront.

The new rules clarify rules around multi-platform storefronts, reading: “Apps that operate across multiple platforms may allow users to access content, subscriptions, or features they have acquired elsewhere, including consumable items in multi-platform games, provided those items are also available as in-app purchases within the app."

Section 4.2.7 clarifies that apps like Steam Link must be managed from a PC, and users must only be able to create an account on the host device. These Apps must "not provide a store-like interface, or include the ability to browse, select, or purchase software not already owned or licensed by the user."

This may provide a structure for Valve to work around, potentially able to get Steam Link on the App Store in one form or another. The Bellevue company has been in talks with Apple regarding the app, and it’s likely that we’ll eventually see a compliant version on iOS at some point.

Steam Link is an application that allows gamers to stream games from their computer to external devices, beginning with a TV device back in 2015. A beta client for mobile devices was slated to launch last month, and very much did on Android.


Staff Writer

Natalie Clayton is an Edinburgh-based freelance writer and game developer. Besides PCGamesInsider and Pocketgamer.biz, she's written across the games media landscape and was named in the 2018 GamesIndustry.biz 100 Rising Star list.