Valve Removes Game Purchasing in Updated Steam Link iOS App

Citing “business conflicts”, Apple rejected Valve’s Steam Link iOS app after initially approving it last month. Apple’s Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing Phil Schiller later stepped in and explained in an email that the app violated a number of guidelines around user-generated content, in-app purchases, and content codes.

Buy key

Today, Valve has rolled out an updated version of the Steam Link app to testers which according to TouchArcade, features a few UI tweaks and removes the ability to make any purchases through the app. Now when you connect to your PC via the Steam Link app and browse the store, the purchase button will say “Available to purchase from your PC”.

“Interestingly enough, you can still totally interact with the Steam Marketplace using funds that you already have in your Steam wallet. I was able to buy a PUBG crate key without issue using my wallet balance, but it doesn’t seem like any of the buttons to actually add funds to my wallet work in the app. Technically, by the letter of the new Apple guidelines, the Steam Link app is fully in compliance as I bought a key for a crate and not software.”

For those who aren’t familiar, the Steam Link app for iOS allows gamers to enjoy their Steam library of games on their iPhone, iPad or Apple TV devices while connected via 5Ghz network or wired Ethernet to a host system. Gamers can use the Steam Controller, MFI controllers, and other devices to play.

It shouldn’t be long before Steam Link for iOS makes its way back to the App Store. We’ll be sure to let you know when that happens.

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