Apple is planning to remove a fan-made app that has temporarily enabled the Google Stadia game streaming service to be accessed on iOS devices.
The company will nix Stadium from the App Store with a quickness, developer Zach Knox revealed in a tweet last night. “My app is being removed from the App Store, AMA,” he wrote on Monday.
The Stadium app came to light in late September amid the continued absence of a fully functional Stadia app that enables subscribers to play on an iPhone or iPad natively.
Knox created an app that effectively fooled the service into thinking it was running on the Chrome browser, which is how Stadia runs on desktop machines. It even enabled subscribers to connect an Xbox or DualShock controller in order to enjoy the games.
I know my app being removed is getting a lot of attention, but to be clear: I'm disappointed, but I'm not mad at Apple. I have some plans for this app going forward, and I think you'll all be satisfied.
Watch this space.— Zach (@zmknox) October 20, 2020
While Stadium had no problem making it on to the App Store, the company rejected a patch and began investigating the true purpose of the app. While Knox fixed the flaw and waited for the update to land, Apple informed him the Stadium app was not “in compliance” with App Store guidelines.
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In further comments to Vice News, Knox explains: “I’m not resentful at app review [Apple’s board for reviewing apps] for this decision,” said Knox in an email last night. “I’m obviously disappointed, and may not agree with their reasoning, but I get it. They spent 3 weeks on it so obviously had some internal discussion on the matter. This isn’t some #FreeStadium tirade on my part.
However, in a tweet on Tuesday, he made it clear he’s not giving up the ghost quite yet. He added: “I know my app being removed is getting a lot of attention, but to be clear: I’m disappointed, but I’m not mad at Apple,” Knox tweeted today. “I have some plans for this app going forward, and I think you’ll all be satisfied. Watch this space.”
Right now the app is still live on the App Store, but it won’t be for long. Soon Stadia gamers who discovered the app will be out of luck again. However, the prospect of Stadia gaming arriving on the App Store was improved by tweaked App Store guidelines revealed back in September. The main hurdle to Stadia and other services like Microsoft’s xCloud arriving on iPhone and iPad remains Apple’s desire to review every game that’s available as part of the service.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
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We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
