Steam Link Now Available For Android, But Not Apple Devices

Valve is still supporting the Steam Link, the remote device that allows gamers to stream content to a television anywhere in the house by remotely accessing games from a gaming desktop or laptop. The Steam Link is now available for Android devices, but if you were hoping to get your hands on the app for iOS smartphones and tablets, you're fresh out of luck.

Gamespot is reporting that the Steam Link app has recently become available through the Google Play app store. The article reports that Valve revealed that Apple reversed the decision to allow the Steam Link app on its iTunes App Store, meaning that only Android users will be able to stream Steam games from their desktop PC to their smartphones.

As noted in the post, Valve had intended for both sets of mobile operating systems to have access to the Steam Link app. However, after the app was originally approved, Apple then revoked approval of the app and stated that there were "business conflicts" within the app guidelines that the original review team failed to take note of at the time.

Valve attempted to appeal the decision but Apple still denied the approval of the Steam Link app, which is quite interesting.

As noted in the article, Valve can no longer do anything to get the Steam Link app on the iTunes App Store and the decision for approval is entirely in Apple's hands. Gamespot speculates that since the Steam Link lets users access games on Steam without having to pay Apple for access to those apps, it's circumventing Apple's monetary setup for allowing apps on its service.

However, there's also the issue that earlier in May there were issues with Valve threatening to remove some games from the service that supposedly violated the developers terms of service for content regarding sexual content in games and pornography.

Valve later sent a letter stating that the threat of removal of visual novels and dating simulators was actually sent as a mistake and that the company would be reevaluating certain games within those genres.

Is it possible that Apple didn't want users accessing certain kinds of adult material through iTunes? Last year Valve came under fire again for a similar situation from an anti-porn organization.

In a report by Mac Rumors, Apple's marketing chief Phil Schiller explained in a letter that the app violates a number of guidelines, saying...

This seems to fit in line with what Apple mentioned before about denying the launch of Steam Link on its service.

Schiller has mentioned that Apple will continue to work with Valve to bring the Steam Link experience closer in line to what's allowed on the iTunes App Store. I'm not entirely sure what sort of changes Valve will have to make in order to get the Steam Link app to comply with Apple's demands, but I'm sure both companies will work something out.