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Apple blocks game streaming services unless individual games are approved

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Re: Apple blocks game streaming services unless individual games are approved

#82

Apple has always wanted to block "browser" type apps. If it can be used to install or view hundreds of other apps, then it's probably not a good fit for the iOS garden. We willingly give Apple money under this premise. I'm not sure why this is surprising.

The situation is more complex.

For instance I have a subscription to a magazine publisher that pushes me any new issues of several magazines as they are published (roughly 10 to 20 every months). And the content of the subscription is not fixed, for a few months some magazines appeared, and other disappeared. Some of the content is gore/mature, while not straight porn.

The catch of course is that the subscription payment goes to Apple, and only Apple (no concurrent web version exists), and additional in-app purchases also go through Apple, no bypassing.

There is also audio subscriptions apps working on the same principles. The one I follow has been there for years.

Basically, as long as Apple gets a decent cut the "browser" nature or fine grain policing content doesn't seem to matter much.

Re: Apple blocks game streaming services unless individual games are approved

#83
post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Whats next iphones only opening approved websites? Unironically, I think that this could happen soon. That sounds crazy, but here me out. Pretty recently there was an announcement regarding a streamer service, that would allow people to play Fortnite, from their phone, through a mobile safari So, in order to block fortnite form being played on an iPhone, Apple would literally have to do what you are suggesting.

Except that playing Fortnite isn't the thing that's being disallowed. It just happened to contain an in-app purchase system that did not use the Apple-approved method, and Fortnite's developers refused to remove that. Apple has always clearly stated that this is perfectly fine on websites, just not in apps.

> Except that playing Fortnite isn't the thing that's being disallowed

Alright, and fortnite is now going to be playable with in web browser purchases, on the safari web browser pretty soon.

So the purchases, without going through Apple, are going to happen on the iPhone, as well as the playing of fortnite on the iPhone.

And Apple would have to prevent certain websites, if they wanted to stop those purchases that go outside of Apple's app system.

Re: Apple blocks game streaming services unless individual games are approved

#85
post #27

Wasn't even a year ago that I was singing Apple's praises for focussing on privacy. I don't feel the same way any more, and I've been happier with an Android device since.

I’m on iPhone thinking of making the switch too. Any privacy tips you recommend for Android?

It's imo not possible to have perfect privacy on Android and a good experience, you must make a tradeoff: Here is my completely subjective list of steps, from easy to hard: 1. Go to google privacy for your account and disable all tracking. 2. Do not connect your main google account to your phone. 3. Use firefox. 4. Use a 3rd party map app with offline maps. 5. Do not connect any google account to your phone. This locks you out of the app store, so you have to rely on other stores. 6. Use linageos. 7. Do not use gapps or google play services.

Re: Apple blocks game streaming services unless individual games are approved

#86

Apple has always wanted to block "browser" type apps. If it can be used to install or view hundreds of other apps, then it's probably not a good fit for the iOS garden. We willingly give Apple money under this premise. I'm not sure why this is surprising.

But I can play games from my browser. And I can play games that are available through the Facebook app.

Re: Apple blocks game streaming services unless individual games are approved

#87

apple no longer makes computers for people who actually like tech, they make easy mode devices for normals

Their processor technology is ahead of every android phone on the market, and they put their high end cpu into their low end device (iPhone SE).

I really don't notice Instagram or Twitter or my mail client running any faster on my iPhone than on my Android device.

Re: Apple blocks game streaming services unless individual games are approved

#90
post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is consistent. There are fundamental differences between the apps you've mentioned and these game-streaming apps that clearly delineate why those are approved and why these are not.

I'll bite - what's the difference between a movie-streaming app and a game-streaming app?

Netflix is bigger than the nascent game streaming market and more apple users (including me) expect to be able to use it. If they told netflix "we have to approve each movie and tv show on your service, and possibly take revenue from you on a per-video basis", then netflix would walk and would be smart to do so because it's pretty likely apple would come up the loser in that fight. Again, huge number of users, existing expectation of the status quo (i can stream from netflix on my device) from those users. Game streaming is new and not yet established to the general user base. Apple is in a huge position of power relative to game streaming and is using that to get the best possible deal.

As a devoted apple product user, these kind of behaviors really worry me. I understand that this is normal behavior for powerful organizations, but apple is making the user experience worse for money. I don't see how that ends well.

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