Nvidia GeForce Now, Xbox Cloud Gaming and other game streaming services could be making their way to the Apple app store, thanks to changes that Apple has made to its developer rules. Apple's new regulations enable games to be streamed, which wasn't previously allowed. If Nvidia makes a GeForce Now application or Microsoft makes one for Xbox Cloud Gaming, it could make it easier to access cloud gaming and unlock special features and abilities that might not be present in the web-based versions of these services.
"Today, Apple is introducing new options for how apps globally can deliver in-app experiences to users, including streaming games and mini-programs. Developers can now submit a single app with the capability to stream all of the games offered in their catalog," Apple wrote in a blog post. That also added that apps will need to "maintain an age rating of the highest age-rated content included in the app" as part of the App Store rules.
Previously, any publisher that wanted to support cloud gaming libraries needed to jump through tons of hoops; Apple's old regulations specified that publishers needed to pass each game in its cloud service as an individual app on the store. On top of this, any additional games that get added to the cloud service would need to be published as dedicated apps on the App Store.
The work required to get the 1,500+ games available on the GeForce Now library, for example through Apple's qualification processes would have taken an incredibly long time to finish, if it was possible at all.
Thankfully Apple's latest regulations are substantially less demanding no longer requiring the addition of each game offered in a cloud gaming app to be passed through the Apple store as an independent entity.
For now, though we'll have to wait and see if Nvidia, Microsoft, and others decides to make applications for the Apple App Store. Apple's new rules just came out today so it will be some time. Nvidia's dedicated GeForce Now applications have always been superior to their web-based counterparts, including better system latency, higher resolution support, and more features in general.
The good news is that Nvidia and Microsoft already have web-based versions of GeForce Now and Xbox Game Streaming that iOS and iPhone users can use in the meantime. Mac users get their own dedicated version of the GeForce Now app, which you can download from Nvidia directly
