Facebook Cloud Gaming Available on iOS with the Web App
2023-01-12
Don’t mess with Apple, they say. Yes, we can, says Facebook. The largest social media found its own way to bypass the borders Apple builds around its cloud ecosystem. Cloud-based gaming by Facebook is available from your iPhone through a web page. And all you need for that is a browser.
It seems the only solution for third-party stores so far. App Store by Apple does not tolerate rivals, so the limitations it sets are too severe to follow. For example, a cloud game provider should provide a separate app for each game available instead of one gate app. And this deprives cloud gaming on the App Store of any sense. The only way to bypass these regulations is to bypass the App Store at all, exactly what Facebook does.
In fact, users will see little difference in launching these games after adding the link to the home screen. And this is how to do it:
- Open Safari on your iOS device;
- Go to fb.gg/play in it;
- After loading the page, tap “Share”;
- Choose “Add to Home Screen”;
- Rename (optionally) and confirm.
Voila! You have the web app on your home screen. Tap it and authorize (if not yet) to access all the Facebook games from your iPhone or iPad. Now, if you decide to purchase some paid content, you won’t have to do it through the App Store.
So far, real cloud games are only available for the USA and some parts of Canada and Mexico. For the rest of the world, though, web access still makes sense because of HTML5-based games. They are as playable in Safari on iOS as they are on desktops or laptops.
On Android, all these tricks are not necessary. Users can just run the Facebook app and go to the gaming section where the games are available. Still, the overall experience on iOS, despite some technical limitations, does not differ much. Due to cloud saves, you can continue on one device from where you left on another. That’s what online games are for.
