Google Stadia is now available on iOS devices

Google’s video game streaming service Google Stadia is now available on iOS devices via the Safari web browser. 

While the service was originally set to launch on iOS as a standalone app, Apple’s App Store restrictions wouldn’t allow the service to be used through official means.

However, after months of development, Google Stadia is now available on all iOS devices through a web-based offering in Apple’s Safari browser. As long as your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch is on iOS 14.3, you’ll be able to experience Stadia gaming on your device.

https://twitter.com/GoogleStadia/status/1339273055525195776?s=20

Stadia players will be able to use touch controls or a paired controller on iOS, as long as that controller is compatible with both your device and the streaming service.

Google isn’t the only cloud gaming service to circumvent Apple’s App Store restrictions with the development of a bespoke Web-based client. Nvidia’s streaming service, GeForce Now, recently released their own Safari-compatible web app, the only way to play Fortnite on iOS.

Another high-profile example is Microsoft’s video game subscription service Xbox Game Pass, a service that allows players on Android to stream Xbox One versions of games directly to their phones.

While the service was planned to release on iOS, a full-fledged beta was even playable on Apple devices, its iOS release was blocked as Apple wanted to personally vet all content arriving on the service, something the company doesn’t do for movie, TV and music streaming apps like Netflix and Spotify.

Apple did slightly relax their guidelines, but Microsoft has stated that the Xbox Game Pass streaming service would be a bad experience for iOS customers under the current rules.

“This remains a bad experience for customers. Gamers want to jump directly into a game from their curated catalog within one app just like they do with movies or songs, and not be forced to download over 100 apps to play individual games from the cloud,” a Microsoft spokesperson told us. “We’re committed to putting gamers at the center of everything we do, and providing a great experience is core to that mission.”