Microsoft blames Apple for its delayed Xbox mobile store

A twelvemonth agone Xbox president Sarah Bond revealed that Microsoft was readying to motorboat a new Xbox mobile web store successful July 2024. That ne'er happened. I’ve been wondering what the clasp up has been implicit the past year, and it seems we mightiness person an answer: Apple.

Microsoft filed an amicus little precocious connected Tuesday, successful enactment of Epic Games’ ongoing combat with Apple’s power implicit the App Store. The little takes contented with Apple’s effort to overturn the injunction that allows Epic and different developers to freely advertise alternate outgo methods successful their apps, and not person to wage Apple further fees for purchases made extracurricular of apps.

It’s a cardinal ruling that has already allowed Fortnite to instrumentality to the App Store successful the US, implicit with the quality for Epic Games to nexus retired to its ain outgo strategy wrong the game. Microsoft has wanted to connection a akin acquisition for its Xbox mobile store, but it says its solution “has been stymied by Apple.” Here’s however Microsoft explains it:

The territory court’s injunction allows Apple to support its in-app exclusivity but astatine slightest should person enabled Microsoft to connection consumers a workable solution by launching its ain online store — accessible via link-out — for in-app items to beryllium purchased off-app and utilized successful games oregon different apps. And that is what Microsoft wants to do. But adjacent this solution has been stymied by Apple. Prior to the territory court’s astir caller order, Microsoft had been incapable to instrumentality linked-out payments (or adjacent pass customers that alternate acquisition methods exist) due to the fact that of Apple’s caller anti-steering policies that restrict Microsoft’s connection to users and enforce an adjacent higher economical outgo to Microsoft than earlier the injunction.

The tribunal ruling makes it imaginable for Microsoft to present motorboat its Xbox mobile store, but it’s wide that the bundle elephantine besides wants to guarantee Apple’s entreaty against the ruling isn’t successful. If Microsoft did motorboat its Xbox mobile store and past Apple won a impermanent stay, it whitethorn person to propulsion that store pending the entreaty process.

Microsoft adjacent notes successful its filing that “Apple makes nary statement that the method oregon argumentation changes cannot beryllium undone,” truthful it’s urging the ruling to beryllium enforced pending Apple’s appeal. “Microsoft’s ain acquisition managing app stores confirms that Apple’s policies could beryllium restored if Apple yet prevails connected appeal.”

The tribunal ruling besides impacts Microsoft’s main Xbox mobile app. “Similarly, Microsoft has agelong sought to enable Xbox app users connected iOS to some bargain and watercourse games successful the app from the unreality oregon their different devices,” says Microsoft successful its filing. “Apple’s policies person restricted Microsoft’s quality to connection these functionalities together; the injunction allows Microsoft to research this possibility.”

Microsoft started rolling retired the quality to acquisition games and DLC inside the Xbox mobile app past month, but it had to region the distant play enactment to adhere to Apple’s App Store policies. You can’t presently bargain an Xbox crippled successful the Xbox mobile app connected iOS and past watercourse it wrong that aforesaid app. You person to manually navigate to the Xbox Cloud Gaming mobile website connected a browser to get entree to unreality gaming.

Sarah Bond also announced plans to fto players acquisition and play games wrong the Xbox app connected Android successful October, conscionable days aft a tribunal ruled that Google indispensable ace open Android to third-party app stores. The diagnostic was expected to get successful November, but Bond past blamed a “temporary administrative stay” for holding it back.