Netflix games on iOS could be slightly different than Android, here’s why

• Netflix has reportedly been testing games actively on iOS.
• But the games won’t be all downloadable and playable on the Netflix app.
• This is due to Apple’s App Store policies that prevent all-in-one third-party gaming services.

Netflix launched mobile games for Android users globally last week. There are five mobile games in total that can be accessed through the Netflix app. The streaming service however did not confirm when it will debut mobile games on iOS. The delay appears to be due to Apple’s App Store policies that prevent companies from offering all-in-one gaming services.

According to code discovered by developer Steve Moser and Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Netflix has been actively testing games on iOS. According to Gurman, Netflix is planning to launch games individually on the App Store and let users launch them via the Netflix app. Gurman added that not all the games would be downloadable and playable within the iOS app.

It looks like Netflix too will have to bear the brunt of Apple’s App Store policies that have prevented companies like Microsoft and Google from offering their cloud gaming services natively. Apple requires each game to be submitted for review, and also have dedicated pages on the App Store which led Microsoft and Google to launch their cloud gaming services on iOS through web apps.


This approach will be slightly different from how Netflix games on Android are offered. Netflix has a dedicated tab for mobile games on the Android app. But users are still redirected to the Play Store to download the games. Once the games are downloaded, they can be played through the Netflix app or separately on the phone too.

Netflix will offer the game catalogue on its iOS app too but loading and playing the game will take place separately. Android users can still play the game through the Netflix app. This might ruin Netflix’s approach to offering games on its platform since there won’t be anything different other than the company’s branding on the games. Even the current lineup of games has only two based on the Netflix series ‘Stranger Things’ and the other three are casual games.

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