Apple pulls Stadium from App Store and some Google Stadia users might not be happy

The iPhone maker seems to have an issue with how Stadium is “extending WebKit with native APIs to connect with Bluetooth.” This is the same reason how the service was able to connect to Stadia controllers via Bluetooth.

Representational image. (Pixabay)

Sticking with the guidelines, Apple has decided to pull Stadium, an app that made it easier for users to play Stadia on iOS, from its App Store. Although Apple has not yet said anything about it, the new came from the Stadium browser creator Zachary Knox in the app's Discord server. 

“I have some bad news,” Knox mentioned, “But before I get to that: if you want to use the App Store release of Stadium, download it now.” Unlike Google's Stadia, XCloud or GeForce Now, Stadium streamed Stadia games via a web browser, which is technically allowed by Apple. 

However, the iPhone maker seems to have an issue with how Stadium is “extending WebKit with native APIs to connect with Bluetooth.” This is the same reason how the service was able to connect to Stadia controllers via Bluetooth. Apple here is said to be referring to Section 4.7 of its App Store guidelines.

Not sure which
mobile to buy?

My app is being removed from the App Store, AMA

— Zach (@zmknox) October 19, 2020

Although the app is about to be pulled from the App Store, Knox says he is not angry at this move. “While I am obviously disappointed by this, I don't resent Apple for this decision,” he mentioned in a Reddit post. “They didn't want their native frameworks and WebKit interacting how I had them working.”

He added that Stadium was downloaded almost 15,000 times from the App Store. If you have downloaded the app, you can continue using it. Also, Apple is not changing the basic rule of offering gaming on iOS using web browser for now.

This comes right after the iPhone launches and the massive tussle between Apple App Store and Epic.