Microsoft wants to release its own app store for Xbox games on the iPhone

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Microsoft plans to release its own app store in 2024 for both iPhone and Android devices. This should be possible due to changing regulations in the EU.

Benjamin Kuijten | iCulture.nl – 20 March 2023, 16:24 whatsappfacebooktwittertelegramlinkedinmailprint

As a developer, if you want to release an app or game for the iPhone, you still have to offer it via Apple's own App Store. But it could just be that this will change, due to the Digital Markets Act in the EU. And Microsoft wants to take advantage of this soon, by releasing its own app store for games for the iPhone, among others, says Phil Spencer of Microsoft to the Financial Times.

Microsoft with its own Xbox app store for iPhone?

The Digital Markets Act in the EU obliges smartphone makers to allow third-party app stores on various platforms. According to reliable sources, Apple is also working on support for third-party app stores on the iPhone as part of iOS 17. Apple is still discussing this internally, but if the regulations oblige companies like Apple to do so, it will be little to do about it. In any case, Microsoft sees opportunities if this major change really arrives. In the interview, Spencer says that Microsoft wants to make sure “Xbox and other content from both Microsoft and third parties are available on all screens users play on”, including the iPhone and iPad.

He also refers to the upcoming Digital Markets Act and says that Microsoft is making plans to take advantage of the additional possibilities. That could mean that Xbox games can also be played on your iPhone via its own app store. Microsoft already has a cloud gaming service with Xbox games for iPhone, but you can only play them through the browser due to App Store restrictions. With its own Xbox app store for games, there are more possibilities. Spencer adds that smartphones are the largest platform for games worldwide and that Microsoft would like to have a presence there, but that this is not possible in the desired form right now.

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Whether it really comes to its own Xbox app store also depends on the approval of the upcoming acquisition of game developer Activision Blizzard. This publisher owns several franchises and mobile games, such as Call of Duty. If the acquisition is approved, Microsoft suddenly has many more well-known names and mobile games at its disposal to release in its own app store. In addition, the opening of third-party apps is likely to only apply in the EU and other regions where such regulations are in place.

Apple's own rules restrict possibilities

In theory, Microsoft could release its own games via Apple's App Store, but the company must comply with Apple's rules. This means that cloud gaming services are not allowed and that Apple charges a commission of 30% for paid purchases. With the upcoming opening up to third-party app stores, you as a user have more choice, but you may also be exposed to unsafe apps and games that have not been checked by Apple's review team. Incidentally, Apple's own system is also not watertight, because the App Store still regularly features scam apps that charge high subscription prices for very simple functions.

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