A short update regarding my earlier piece on Apple blocking Steam’s Steam Link app.
Turns out I was correct in that the type of app has nothing to do with the rejection. Which is why the appeal to Apple about there already being other remote-desktop style apps, didn’t work.
However, Reuters wrote a great piece, including quotes from Valve. The major point is this:
Steam, however, also offers purchases within games distributed through its platform and also takes a cut of those purchases. Apple’s App Store guidelines ban such a store-within-a-store unless the purchases flow the Apple’s infrastructure and pay Apple’s cut.
That is why it was rejected.
It’s also the reason why you have a Kindle app on iOS, but have to go to the Amazon website to purchase books. Because they don’t want to share any revenue with Apple.
It may seem terrible that Apple demand a cut of all purchases made on their platform. But they are the ones supplying the platform, and the opportunity for developers to build apps for them.