Cloud gaming and chatbots are allowed in the future

Yesterday evening, Thursday, Apple announced fundamental changes to the iOS operating system and the App Store for customers from Europe. In addition to the announcement of alternative app stores and other freedoms – we've already reported on this – the previously strict ban on cloud gaming services and the distribution of mini-apps such as chatbots has now been lifted.

Like Apple on its own Developer website It announced new opportunities for developers, which include streaming games and mini-programs. The letter states:

“Today, Apple is introducing new options for apps to deliver in-app experiences to users around the world, including streaming games and gadgets. Developers can now submit a single app that provides the ability to stream all games from their catalog. Apps will also be able to offer discovery capabilities Optimized for streaming games, mini-apps, mini-games, chatbots, and plugins within their apps.

Additionally, according to Apple, mini-apps, mini-games, chatbots, and plug-ins can also be integrated into Apple's in-app purchasing system. This means that users can “for the first time be offered paid digital content or services [anbieten], such as signing up for an individual chatbot. Apple is also responding to relevant feedback from the developer community, as mentioned in the letter. Likewise, pressure from regulatory authorities, which have been particularly critical of the ban on cloud gaming on Apple devices outside of the Safari browser on the iPhone, may also have played a role in the recent decision.

Companies like Microsoft, which has its own gaming service in this category with Xbox Cloud Gaming, or popular ChatGPT chatbot provider OpenAI will likely benefit from Apple's change. The latter recently opened its own store for GPTs, where people can offer custom AI agents for sale.