Xbox Cloud Gaming Coming to iOS in Spring 2021

Microsoft has today announced that its cloud-based gaming subscription service, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, will be available to iOS users starting Spring 2021.

xbox logo

The announcement detailed that, as expected, Game Pass will not be coming to iOS via an app, but rather through a web browser.

In Spring 2021, we will take the next step in our journey to reach more players around the world by making cloud gaming as part of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate available on Windows PCs through the Xbox app and browser, and iOS devices through mobile web browser. By adding over a billion devices as a path to playing in the Xbox ecosystem, we envision a seamless experience for all types of players; whether it's playing Minecraft Dungeons with your Xbox friends using touch controls on an iPhone, or jumping into a Destiny 2: Beyond Light strike on a Surface Pro when you have a break between meetings.

Earlier this year, plans to bring an Xbox streaming app to iOS stalled due to Apple's App Store rules, which forbid apps from streaming multiple games from the cloud via a single app. This is because Apple believes that its inability to review each game in the service's library is a potential security risk. Game Pass streaming would only be viable if each game was available as its own app under Apple's rules.

As Microsoft suggested earlier this year, using a browser instead of an app allows the company to avoid Apple's ‌App Store‌ rules while still providing the same service. Xbox chief Phil Spencer said that Apple "remains open to the user experience we would like people to see."

Microsoft's games streaming service is bundled as part of the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription for $14.99 per month, with more than 100 games available.

Popular Stories

Generic iOS 19 Feature Mock Light

iOS 19 Leak Reveals All-New Design

Friday January 17, 2025 2:42 pm PST by
iOS 19 is still around six months away from being announced, but a new leak has allegedly revealed a completely redesigned Camera app. Based on footage it obtained, YouTube channel Front Page Tech shared a video showing what the new Camera app will apparently look like, with the key change being translucent menus for camera controls. Overall, the design of these menus looks similar to...
2024 App Store Awards

Apple Explains Why It Removed TikTok From the App Store in the U.S.

Sunday January 19, 2025 6:58 am PST by
Apple on late Saturday removed TikTok from the App Store in the U.S., and it has now explained why it was required to take this action. Last year, the U.S. passed a law that required Chinese company ByteDance to divest its ownership of TikTok due to potential national security risks, or else the platform would be banned. That law went into effect today, and companies like Apple and Google...
2024 iPhone Boxes Feature

Apple Changes Trade-In Values for iPhones, iPads, Macs, and More

Thursday January 16, 2025 6:45 am PST by
Apple today adjusted estimated trade-in values for select iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch models in the U.S., according to its website. Some values increased, while others decreased. The changes were not too significant, with most values rising or dropping by $5 to $50. We have outlined some examples below: Device New Value Old Value iPhone 15 Pro Max Up to $630 U ...
Generic iOS 18

Everything New in iOS 18.3 Beta 3

Thursday January 16, 2025 12:39 pm PST by
Apple provided the third beta of iOS 18.3 to developers today, and while the betas have so far been light on new features, the third beta makes some major changes to Notification Summaries and also tweaks a few other features. Notification Summary Changes Apple made multiple changes to Notification Summaries in response to complaints about inaccurate summaries of news headlines. For...
iOS 19 Roundup Feature

iOS 19 Rumored to Be Compatible With These iPhones

Saturday January 18, 2025 10:28 am PST by
iOS 19 will not drop support for any iPhone models, according to French website iPhoneSoft.fr. The report cited a source who said iOS 19 will be compatible with any iPhone that can run iOS 18, which would mean the following models: iPhone 16 iPhone 16 Plus iPhone 16 Pro iPhone 16 Pro Max iPhone 15 iPhone 15 Plus iPhone 15 Pro iPhone 15 Pro Max iPhone 14 iPhon...
airtag 4 pack blue

AirTag 2 Launching This Year With These 3 New Features

Sunday January 19, 2025 8:11 am PST by
After a four-year wait, a new AirTag is finally expected to launch in 2025. Below, we recap rumored upgrades for the accessory. A few months ago, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple was aiming to release the AirTag 2 around the middle of 2025. While he did not offer a more specific timeframe, that means the AirTag 2 could be announced by the end of June. The original AirTag was announced...
iPad Pro vs iPhone 17 Air Feature

Here's How Thin the iPhone 17 Air Might Be

Friday January 17, 2025 3:38 pm PST by
For the last several months, we've been hearing rumors about a redesigned version of the iPhone 17 that Apple might call the iPhone 17 "Air," or something along those lines. It's going to replace the iPhone 17 Plus as Apple's fourth iPhone option, and it will be offered alongside the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max. We know the iPhone 17 Air is going to be super slim, but...
iPhone SE Dynamic Island Majin Bu

iPhone SE 4 Leak Shows Dynamic Island, Casts Doubt on Rumored 'iPhone 16E' Name

Monday January 20, 2025 9:01 am PST by
A new iPhone SE is widely rumored to launch this year, and the device has potentially been confirmed today by known leaker Evan Blass. In a private social media post, Blass shared an image of what appears to be source code mentioning an iPhone SE (4th Gen), which casts doubt on the alternative "iPhone 16E" name rumored for the device. However, the name in the source code could be a...

Top Rated Comments

Sakurambo-kun Avatar
54 months ago
Really self defeating for Apple to block this being an app. It makes them look petty, small minded, and greedy.

All the Game Pass app does is allow people to stream from a subscription service, just like Netflix, Amazon etc. That's it. It's not a store, it's a streaming service. Apple need to remove their inflated head from the sand.
Score: 46 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Marbles1 Avatar
54 months ago
Apple continue to do nothing for gaming on their platforms; in fact they go out of their way to cripple the experience.
Score: 42 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macsrcool1234 Avatar
54 months ago
no doubt a crappier experience compared to native, thanks to Apple's incompetence.
Score: 38 Votes (Like | Disagree)
FasterQuieter Avatar
54 months ago
Apple couldn't be more in the wrong here.
Score: 27 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ozzymo Avatar
54 months ago

Already has been since iOS 13.


Go build your own platform. Then you can dictate whatever you like on it.


They seem to be doing just fine...your advice not withstanding.


Incompetent all the way to 2 Trillion.
Gotta love this kind of thinking. Just because they are the wealthiest company in the world means that everything they do is right. Forget the fact that Netflix and Hulu don't have to upload every single show for Apple to "review" because Apple was scared of going up against Netflix. The cult is strong in this one!
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ozzymo Avatar
54 months ago

It does not make sense that Apple denies Gamepass because the ESRB reviews every game on xbox, so Apple thinks it knows better than the ESRB. In fact, one could argue that the ESRB or similar organization should be involved in the Apple review process of games as an independent organization. It is baffling that Apple is permitted to allow games on the app store without an ESRB rating, even if it does want to add it's own review process after/before an ESRB rating.

It also does not make sense that Apple denies Gamepass because a user can download a game to their xbox via an iphone game pass app already and then play it from their xbox in the Xbox app already. Apple is simply eliminating A -> C, not A -> B -> C.

Furthermore, how is it that the Mac can be more secure than the iPhone because the Mac allows browser downloads but the iPhone does not?
Apple thinks it knows better than the entire world. And this has more to do with $ and competition. Who in their right mind would subscribe to Apple Arcade and play all those throwaway kiddie games if you could get a real game subscription like Xbox Game Pass. Also of course Apple doesn't like the fact that it wouldn't be getting their juicy 30% cut of every game that would be played through xbox game pass. Now Apple will get nothing since it won't be going through the app store. With that in mind, this sounds like a pretty good trade off to me.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)