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

iOS 18 Siri Personal Context

Report Reveals Internal Chaos Behind Apple's Siri Failure

Thursday April 10, 2025 7:15 am PDT by
A new report from The Information today reveals much of the internal turmoil behind Apple Intelligence's revamped version of Siri. Apple apparently weighed up multiple options for the backend of Apple Intelligence. One initial idea was to build both small and large language models, dubbed "Mini Mouse" and "Mighty Mouse," to run locally on iPhones and in the cloud, respectively. Siri's...
M6 MacBook Pro Feature 1

Waiting for the Perfect MacBook Pro? 2026 Might Be the Year

Thursday April 10, 2025 4:19 am PDT by
Apple in October 2024 overhauled its 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models, adding M4, M4 Pro, and M4 Max chips, Thunderbolt 5 ports on higher-end models, display changes, and more. That's quite a lot of updates in one go, but if you think this means a further major refresh for the MacBook Pro is now several years away, think again. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has said he expects only a small...
Apple 2025 Thumb 1

10 Products Still Coming From Apple in 2025

Friday April 11, 2025 4:14 pm PDT by
Apple may have updated several iPads and Macs late last year and early this year, but there are still multiple new devices that we're looking forward to seeing in 2025. Most will come in September or October, but there could be a few surprises before then. We've rounded up a list of everything that we're still waiting to see from Apple in 2025. iPhone 17, 17 Air, and 17 Pro - We get...
maxresdefault

The MacRumors Show: New iOS 19, iPhone 17, and Apple Watch Ultra 3 Leaks

Friday April 11, 2025 7:13 am PDT by
On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we catch up on the latest iOS 19 and watchOS 12 rumors, upcoming devices, and more. Subscribe to The MacRumors Show YouTube channel for more videos Detailed new renders from leaker Jon Prosser claim to provide the best look yet at the complete redesign rumored to arrive in iOS 19, showing more rounded elements, lighting effects, translucency, and...
Alleged iOS 19 Icons Front Page Tech

iOS 19 Leak Reveals Alleged New Design With Rounder App Icons, Floating Tab Bar, and More

Monday April 7, 2025 3:13 pm PDT by
YouTube channel Front Page Tech is back today with another video that provides a closer look at iOS 19's alleged design changes. The video contains re-created renders of iOS 19, which are allegedly based on real footage of the software update, provided by sources within Apple. Overall, iOS 19 is expected to have a more glass-like, visionOS-inspired design, with added translucency for user...
Apple Northbrook

Apple Store in Chicago Area Permanently Closing Later This Month

Wednesday April 9, 2025 9:56 am PDT by
Apple will be permanently closing its store at the Northbrook Court shopping mall in the Chicago suburb of Northbrook on April 26, the company has announced. Apple has added the following notice to the store's web page:Thank you Northbook. Apple Northbrook is closing on April 26 at 7pm. We're still here for you. Please visit apple.com/retail to find your nearest store.Apple Northbrook opened ...
iOS 18

iOS 18.5 Includes Two Changes So Far

Wednesday April 9, 2025 9:09 am PDT by
Apple released the first beta of iOS 18.5 last week, and so far the software update includes only two minor changes. The changes are in the Mail and Settings apps. In the Mail app, you can now easily turn off contact photos directly within the app, by tapping on the circle with three dots in the top-right corner. In the Settings app, there is some new AppleCare+ information. For ...
apple intelligence black

NYT: Apple's AI Struggles Began with 2023 Chip Budget Dispute

Friday April 11, 2025 4:33 am PDT by
Apple's current struggles with Apple Intelligence and Siri began in early 2023 when AI head John Giannandrea sought approval from CEO Tim Cook to purchase more AI chips for development, according to a new report from The New York Times. Cook initially approved doubling the team's chip budget, but CFO Luca Maestri reportedly reduced the increase to less than half that amount, and instead...
iPhone Fold Vertical Feature

Apple's 18.8-Inch Foldable Device to Enter Mass Production in Late 2026

Thursday April 10, 2025 1:33 am PDT by
Along with an iPhone "Fold," Apple is believed to be working on a larger foldable device that's somewhere around 19 inches, and one analyst suggests it could arrive as soon as late next year alongside Apple's rumored foldable iPhone. In a new research note covering likely post-tariff scenarios for Apple, investment firm GF Securities' lead analyst Jeff Pu says that both 18.8-inch and...

Top Rated Comments

Sakurambo-kun Avatar
57 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
57 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
57 months ago
no doubt a crappier experience compared to native, thanks to Apple's incompetence.
Score: 38 Votes (Like | Disagree)
FasterQuieter Avatar
57 months ago
Apple couldn't be more in the wrong here.
Score: 27 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ozzymo Avatar
57 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
57 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)