Apple rejects Valve Steam Link app after initially approving it, offers vague reasoning for the ban

The Steam Link app was set to launch on iOS recently, but Apple had a change of heart and rejected the app after initially approving it. The initial reasoning was a very vague "business conflicts with app guidelines" and though clarification has now been offered, it's hardly any more helpful.

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Valve's Steam Link app was supposed to launch on iOS this week, but now it's unclear when or if it'll be available.

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Apple Just Blocked PC Gamers From Playing Steam Games On iOS

Earlier this month Valve announced that its free Steam Link app will arrive this week for both iOS and Android platforms, allowing PC gamers with existing rigs to play their Steam library of games on smartphones via a 5GHz WiFi connection, complete with controller support. Unfortunately, Apple has blocked Steam Link from release on its App Store, despite previously approving it.

A Valve PR representative explains via email that Apple initially approved the app on May 7. Valve waited to announce the Steam Link app news until May 9, which I covered here. They even had a release window targeted. The morning of May 10 Apple revoked its approval, citing "business conflicts with app guidelines."

Valve immediately submitted an appeal, explaining that its Steam Link has similar functionality to multiple LAN-based remote desktop apps that already exist on the App Store.

Apple denied the appeal, blocking the Steam Link app from being released.

"The team here spent many hours on this project and the approval process, so we're clearly disappointed," the Valve representative says. "But we hope Apple will reconsider in the future."

This leaves a ton of Steam users with iOS devices (both iPhones and iPads) out in the cold, as the app now appears to be in limbo. The Steam Link app is currently live in beta form on Google Play for Android users. It currently has more than 100,000 downloads after 3 days with an over 4.3 out of 5 rating.

Clearly something broke down following Apple's original approval, and Valve appears to have been completely blindsided by it. Apple hasn't cited a more specific reason for blocking the app, and wasn't immediately available for comment.

It's a disappointing development for iOS users, but I'm suddenly a little more thankful that I recently yanked myself away from the Apple ecosystem and returned to Android. However, Nvidia GPU users might want to look into an alternative iOS app called Moonlight.

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Valve’s new Steam Link app will be an Android exclusive. At least, that’s for the time being anyway. According to a statement from Valve, Apple has declined to have the new app in its store. Read more #News #Apple #SteamLink

#Apple first approved the #SteamLink, then decided to reject it citing "business conflicts"

You kinda knew Apple was gonna shut this down - Steam Link App for iOS Rejected by Apple: http://bit.ly/2s3cw6P #SteamLink #Apple

Steam Link App For iOS Rejected by Apple - Valve Announcement

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Play PC games on an external display using Steam Link #AndroidTV #steam #steamlink

For the longest time, gamers dreamed of cross-platform compatibility for PC titles. Such an ability would allow PC games to be played on various consoles including our mobile devices. In a move that will delight gamers everywhere, Valve has announced…

Steam Link for Android hands-on: A nearly effortless game-streaming solution

A few days ago, Valve released the beta version of the Steam Link app for Android. This means that you can play your Steam library right on your phone, and it's pretty great. Though it's by no means a new concept – we've seen it before with Sony and Nvidia devices – it doesn't require either a PlayStation or a GeForce graphics card. All you need is a Steam library and your phone on the same network, plus a controller, and you're good to go.

In-Home Streaming has been around for a while, and even the Steam Link name isn't new, but this is just another way to play your games away from your main machine. With summer coming up, that's not that bad of an idea — having a powerful gaming PC in an apartment with no A/C equals a very hot office, so if I can still play my games but be in a cooler room at the same time, I'm down.

I tested the Steam Link Android app in a variety of configurations with my Steam and Shield Controllers, using both Windows and Linux (Ubuntu) as the host operating systems.

Basic use

If you have a Steam Controller, then you'll need to update the firmware to enable Bluetooth. Activate Big Picture and a prompt should appear; just plug in the controller and let it do its thing. Once it's finished, connect it to your phone or other Android device and open the app. In theory, Steam Link should find your computer, so long as it's on the same network and the Steam program is running — this is true for both Windows and Linux.

However, on almost every phone I tried (excluding the Mate 10 Pro), the app couldn't find my PC, so I had to enter my local IP address instead. Once everything is linked up, you're ready to go. For ease of use, I recommend starting the game on your host machine, because Steam Link acts like a remote desktop viewer unless you're in Big Picture (the physical Steam Link could do this, too).

If you're familiar with the Steam Controller, then you'll know it's not well-suited to first-person shooters; as a matter of fact, it can be downright awful in some circumstances. I tested Destiny 2, Overwatch, and Doom (2016) and while playable, I was not too thrilled with how it handled them. Granted, I don't play shooters with a controller, but no matter how I tweaked the settings, I had a hard time. So if you're planning to play FPS games primarily, then I'd suggest something different like a Moga Pro or something similar.

Since this isn't a review of the Steam Controller, let's move on. Latency overall was surprisingly minimal; I tried playing in different areas of my apartment and didn't notice any difference. But for every game I tested, I started off by sitting at my desk with my Pixel 2 XL on a phone stand under my main monitor. Side-by-side, I couldn't see any input lag or other noticeable signs of latency between the two displays. If you're using an 18:9 phone, you'll notice that you'll have black boxes on either side of the game window. It's understandable, but definitely noticeable.

Your mileage may vary on what resolution and framerate you can get, but if you're having trouble, try lowering the graphics settings. If your network isn't strong, then you'll struggle a lot here.

For those of you who don't know, you can add non-Steam games to your library. This is especially good for people like me who play titles that use other platforms like Battle.net or Origin, which is how I was able to try out Overwatch and Destiny 2 with this app.

And for the sake of completeness, I also tested connecting to my home network via a VPN. I used my Verizon connection and tried to load up Steam Link, but it didn't go so well. Most of the time, I was left with a black screen that acted like a remote desktop, even if Steam was running in Big Picture on my host PC. It loaded up on a couple of occasions, but the latency was so high that the couple of games I got to try were unplayable. So, unfortunately, this is not a reliable method by which you can stream your Steam library to a client machine outside of your home network.

Games I tested:
- Dark Souls III
- Destiny 2
- Doom (2016)
- Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon
- Lords of the Fallen
- Mirror's Edge
- NieR: Automata
- Nioh
- No Man's Sky
- Overwatch
- Redout
- Rise of the Tomb Raider
- Trine
- Trine 2

Phones I used:
- Google Pixel 2 XL (Android P DP2)
- Huawei Mate 10 Pro
- Honor View10 (LineageOS)
- OnePlus 5T
- Xiaomi Mi Mix 2
- LG G6

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