Xbox will reportedly avoid iOS Game Pass block with a browser-based app

Microsoft is reportedly planning to bring its Game Pass app to iPhone and iPad devices via a “direct browser-based solution” next year.

The Xbox firm was forced to delay the launch of Game Pass on iOS this summer, after Apple blocked the game-streaming app from its platform, citing its requirement that it be able to certify every game that appears on the App Store.

This led to a strongly-worded statement in which Microsoft claimed that “Apple stands alone as the only general-purpose platform to deny consumers from cloud gaming and game subscription services like Xbox Game Pass.”

The Game Pass app and game streaming has been widely available on Android devices since September.

According to a Business Insider report, Microsoft could have found a solution for the iOS dispute, by bypassing the App Store entirely and making its Game Pass app browser-based.

Head of Xbox Phil Spencer reportedly told employees this week that the company is planning to bring Game Pass to iOS in 2021. “We absolutely will end up on iOS,” Spencer reportedly told employees.

Amazon announced similar plans for its new Luna game streaming platform this month, which will appear on iOS devices via a web app it said was created in collaboration with Apple.

Earlier this week, Microsoft confirmed it’s working to bring Xbox Game Pass streaming to console and PC.

The company’s public technology preview for cloud gaming, which was previously referred to as Project xCloud, launched in beta in September as part of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.

With a compatible controller, it enables users to play over 100 Xbox games on Android devices directly from the cloud.