Apple To Remove App That Allowed Users To Play Stadia Games On iOS

Apple has told the developer behind the Stadium app that it will be removing the app from the App Store. This comes as the latest blow to mobile gamers who have been looking for ways to enjoy the video games they could not access via the App Store or Apple Arcade.

Zachary Knox, creator of the Stadium app that allowed users to play Stadia games on their iPhones, said the Cupertino tech giant reached out to him and informed him that it is taking down the app.

For those who don't know, the Stadium app offers iPhone users a workaround so they can enjoy Stadia games directly on their Apple smartphones.

Apple hasn't officially allowed game streaming services like Stadia, xCloud and GeForce Now because of its strict App Store rules.

While the App Store technically allows apps to present a selection of games like a catalog, each of these games “must be submitted to the App Store as an individual app,” according to its rules.

The App Store's policies, however, allow developers to use the “the open Internet and web browser apps to reach all users outside of the App Store.”

This policy technically allowed the Stadium app on the iOS App Store because it is, basically, just a full screen web browser, The Verge noted. The app, however, allowed players to gain access to Stadia games without any need for the official Stadia app.

Apple took notice of the way Stadium implements this workaround and decided that it will remove the app from the App Store. According to Knox, the Cupertino tech giant explained over the phone that it “didn't like” how he “was 'extending WebKit' by hooking it into the native GameController framework and thus Bluetooth controllers” and will thus take the app down.

Now, Knox is telling all iOS users who haven't downloaded the app yet to get it while they still can. The app can be downloaded from the App Store or via iTunes (if it hasn't been removed yet).

It's currently unclear if it can still be used to play Stadia games once Apple takes it down.