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Comment by esteth | Hacker News Reader

Apple allows cloud gaming apps (they don't care if the game is delivered by streaming when you play it) but they don't allow game store apps which can stream lots of different games and where that selection of games can change outside of an app store update.

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Theoretically a SSH shell could sell subscriptions to a bunch of text-based games.

Or you could make your game available in browser...

genius

Apple intentionally cripples mobile Safari so that Web apps will never be as good as native ones.

This would fall under the "generic mirroring" rule of the App Store. Apple only takes issue if you make your remote apps look and behave like a local apps.

The overarching rule for the App Store when it comes to these things that the implementation details are completely irrelevant, the only thing that matters is what a user sees when they open the app.

I hate jumping into these threads because I don’t want to feel like I’m defending Apple’s draconian policies, but it’s incredible how many people on here feel that they should be able to rules-lawyer their way out of them. “Oh, but this app is STREAMED, it’s totally different! You let people STREAM music, don’t you??”

And forcing games to be individually approved also allow them to apply the rating system as well, so for example a kid won't be able to play a game rated above their age for example.

I don't like how Apple is enforcing it, but that's arguably better than outright banning these platforms.

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