Apple is opening up the App Store a bit today (January 25) by allowing developers to stream games and other "mini-programs" within a single app. This is important because until now it has been very difficult for game streaming services to operate in the Apple App Store.

While services like Google Stadia (RIP), GeForce Now, and Xbox Game Pass finally came to the iPhone in 2020, Apple has made it difficult for developers to actually stream games to the iPhone. Such apps could provide basic account services and a catalog of games available to users, but the games actually streamed to Apple devices had to first be submitted to the App Store team as dedicated stand-alone apps, then had to make in-app purchases to unlock features.

In this way, Apple was able to meticulously manage the games streamed through the App Store and earn a share of the profits. At the time, Apple's developer partners were (understandably) frustrated by this restriction, which did not apply to content streaming services like Spotify and Netflix.

"This remains a bad experience for customers," a Microsoft spokesperson told Tom's Guide at the time." Gamers want to dive directly into games from a curated catalog within a single app, much like they do with movies and songs, and not be forced to download 100+ apps to play individual games from the cloud.

And indeed, it seemed like a bad experience even for developers who had to try workarounds like in-app links to websites that could stream games via the phone's browser. 2020 brought Google Stadia to the iPhone, and suddenly We saw this firsthand when you could stream and play Cyberpunk 2077 on your iPhone or iPad; if you wanted to stream the game in the Stadia app or switch between games while streaming, you were out of luck.

Apple's announcement today lays the groundwork for a major change that will spread throughout the App Store in 2024. Starting today, developers will be able to submit a single app with the ability to stream all the games in their catalog. 11]

Apple, of course, wants to continue to control the content and revenue of these apps, so not only will all apps "App Each experience that will be made available in an app on the Store must comply with all App Store Review Guidelines, and its host apps must maintain the highest age rating of any content in the app"

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The company also talks about how it can help developers by "enhancing the streaming games, mini apps, mini-games, chatbots, and plugin discovery opportunities" offered on the App Store. Of course, they also emphasize that developers can offer paid content and services through an in-app purchase system and return a portion of the revenue to Apple.

In addition, Apple is rolling out several new analytics tools that developers can use to better understand their performance in the App Store, with more to come in March 2024.

This is one of several changes Apple will make to the App Store in 2024 in response to pressure from European Union authorities investigating the company for alleged antitrust violations.

More changes are expected to be made to the company's business in the EU to comply with the impending Digital Markets Act, so much so that Apple may split up its App Store to comply with EU regulations. And while the company is under pressure to make it easier for iPhone owners to install their own apps without having to access the App Store, Apple is likely to limit sideloading on the iPhone in the most Apple-like way possible.

Still, back in 2020, it was hard to imagine this happening in Apple's walled garden. While the company appears to be fighting tooth and nail to keep its App Store, pressure from EU regulators is clearly having an impact.