Xbox Game Pass web app in development to combat Apple guidelines

Microsoft is working on getting Xbox Game Pass to iOS by creating an Xbox Game Pass web app, circumventing Apple’s App Store policies.

Reported by Business Insider, Xbox boss Phil Spencer informed Microsoft employees on Wednesday that the Xbox Game Pass streaming service “absolutely will end up on iOS.” Spencer’s meeting allegedly focused on bringing the service to iOS and iPad through the use of a “direct browser-based solution.”

This follows the news of Spencer revealing that other platforms are currently being targeted for a release of Xbox Game Pass, including PC and consoles. It’s unclear whether the former will make use of the Xbox Game Pass web app or not.

The development of a bespoke web app for Xbox’s streaming service follows in the footsteps of Amazon’s upcoming competitor: Amazon Luna. That streaming service’s reveal was reliant on its announcement of iOS support through the use of a browser client.

Microsoft has wanted to bring their service to iOS for months, but they were gatekeeped by Apple’s App Store policies. While the heavy restrictions were made somewhat more lenient, they still lead to a bad experience for users.