Microsoft has confirmed that it's finally bringing its Xbox cloud gaming to iOS.
The company said today that Xbox cloud gaming will launch on iOS in spring 2021, allowing iPhone and iPad users to play console Xbox games by streaming them from the cloud. The service is already available on Android through a dedicated app, but on iOS users will access Xbox cloud gaming through a web browser.
This is likely because of Apple's App Store rules. Earlier this year, Apple said game streaming services like Xbox weren't allowed on iOS. Apple then changed its rules to allow these services, but it said that each individual game must go through Apple's review and get an App Store page and appear in search. This would be a lot of work for a service like Microsoft's, which offers more than 100 games from a variety of developers.
Amazon launched its new Luna game streaming service this year, and on iOS it'll work through a web browser to get around the App Store and Apple's rules. Now it looks like Microsoft will do the same thing.
While a web browser may not be as nice or smooth as a dedicated app, at least iOS users will have a way to access Microsoft's Xbox cloud gaming service.
Xbox cloud gaming lets you play more than 100 games on your mobile device using a high-speed Wi-Fi or cellular connection. The service is part of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, which is priced at $14.99 per month and also includes access to more than 100 games on your Xbox console and PC.
