Apple allows game streaming on iPhones, but there's a catch

A few weeks back, Apple rejected the xCloud game streaming service for iPhones over security concerns.

The company said that the Microsoft-built platform offered a variety of games for streaming which blocks it from reviewing each title individually and therefore violates the App Store guidelines.

Google Stadia and Facebook Gaming were also hit by the same policy of the Tim Cook-led company.

Now, as part of the new rules, Apple is allowing cloud-based game streaming on the App Store.

But, the condition is, the titles offered by these services (whether Stadia or xCloud or something else) should be made available for streaming directly through the App Store, where they can be reviewed.

There can't be a single place to explore and play all the titles.

That said, to solve the issue to some extent, Apple has said developers can use catalog-style apps linking out to the games that use their streaming tech on the App Store.

This whole system means players like Microsoft and Google would have to make extensive changes to their streaming services and business models to take their products to iPhone users.

Apple's new rules also say that apps offering educational or fitness classes would have to be billed if they are offering "one-to-few or one-to-many services".

If the experience is for "one-to-one," there is no requirement of in-app purchases through the App Store.

The company has also exempted free apps that act as a companion to web-based tools from using its in-app purchase for subscriptions.