Facebook has launched Facebook Gaming app on iOS without any games. The app is primarily meant to be used to watch streamers play video games but had to remove the app’s mini games feature to pass Apple’s strict App Store approval process. Facebook isn’t happy about the compromise.
“Unfortunately, we had to remove gameplay functionality entirely in order to get Apple’s approval on the standalone Facebook Gaming app — meaning iOS users have an inferior experience to those using Android.We’re staying focused on building communities for the more than 380 million people who play games on Facebook every month — whether Apple allows it in a standalone app or not,” said Facebook’s chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg, in a press statement given to The Verge.
Apple cited App Store guideline 4.7 to explain these rejections and said that the primary purpose of the Facebook Gaming app was to play games. Facebook said it has shared usage data from the Android Facebook Gaming app that showed that 95 per cent of the activity on the app was watching streams, but that did not change Apple’s decision.
Apple had unveiled an appeal process for situations like this at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) this year in June but Facebook says that it has tried and failed to convince Apple to change its stance on the Facebook Gaming app.
Following that a Facebook spokesperson said that they have appealed the new guideline under the new app review process but have received no response.Thus Facebook had to remove games from the Facebook Gaming app that has launched on the App Store.