Steam Link On iOS Gets A Second Chance With Apple's New App Store Rules

Valve's announcement that it would be bringing Steam Link to mobile device is one that garnered a lot of attention and excitement. The Android release of Steam Link went off seemingly without a hitch, but it was a different story on iOS. As it turns out, Apple didn't take too kindly to the idea of Steam Link on iOS, and the app was denied when it was submitted for approval.When Steam Link was barred entry to the iOS App Store, neither Valve nor Apple really had much to say. The app was officially rejected due to "business conflicts with app guidelines," but that's a fairly broad reason. Essentially, Apple forbids developers from releasing their own app stores on iOS, as those could be used to evade Apple's approval process and deny the company the 30% cut it takes on every App Store sale.

Valve, of course, appealed the rejection, noting that Steam Link is simply a LAN-based remote mirroring app, and it appears that Apple has been listening. On Monday, as it was hosting its WWDC keynote, Apple quietly updated its App Store rules. Reuters reports that these new rules allow mirroring apps to sell content via an associated app store so long as those transactions are carried out on desktop and not on iOS devices.

Apple didn't confirm that these new rules were put in place to allow Steam Link on the iOS App Store, but the timing of their roll out certainly seems to suggest that they were. Now the ball is in Valve's court – the company will likely have to resubmit the app, but that process should be a fairly quick one considering that Valve has already been through this particular song and dance.

So, it might not be much longer before you're able to play your Steam games on your iPhone or iPad. We'll keep an ear to the ground for more, and we'll update you when Steam Link inevitably launches on the iOS App Store.