As promised earlier last month, Google Stadia has finally arrived on iOS devices today. The company has made its game streaming service available on iPhones and iPads via the native Safari browser. Yeah, you heard that right. Stadia is not available on the App Store due to Apple’s regressive policies. But, if you have a Stadia subscription, you can now play from your mobile browser itself.
Google made the official announcement on Twitter last night. If you are not aware, Apple does not allow game streaming apps on the App Store in the current form. It wants the companies to list each game separately on the store before they are made available inside their streaming apps. That sounds highly unviable and clunky. Thus, Google Stadia decided to bypass this App Store policy by making games playable via the Safari browser.
Play Stadia Games on Your iPhone/ iPad
Accessing Google Stadia on your iOS device is a simple process. Just follow the steps below and you should be good:
- Open the Safari browser and navigate to Stadia’s website.
- Log into your Google account.
- If you don’t have a Stadia Pro subscription, you can only try out one game for free on Stadia – Konami’s Super Bomberman R. You can play any and all games from the iOS browser once you get a $9.99 per month subscription.
Once you have opened the Google Stadia website in Safari browser, follow the steps underneath to add a homescreen icon for the app on your iOS device:
Stadia is now available on iOS devices! Yes, you read that right. Starting today, you can sign into https://t.co/AoYhdVnzGu on your Safari iOS browser and begin playing your favorite games. Try it for yourself today! pic.twitter.com/iQhoAu8NtX
— Stadia (@GoogleStadia) December 16, 2020
Play Cyberpunk 2077 via Stadia on Your iPhone
With all the hullabaloo around Cyberpunk 2077 not being up to the mark on previous-gen consoles, Google Stadia arrives as the perfect alternative (read savior) to enjoy the game. CD Projekt Red has already apologized for the unfinished game and is providing refunds to console players.
Just follow the aforesaid steps and boot up the game on your iPad. Connect any of your console controllers and explore the Night City in high-fidelity. You can see The Verge’s Tom Warren boot up and demo Cyberpunk 2077 on his iPhone:
Google Stadia is now live on iOS. It works over the web, and you can now play Cyberpunk on an iPhone with touch controls https://t.co/TLGKsxP0xH pic.twitter.com/m3JPs6hbmS
— Tom Warren (@tomwarren) December 16, 2020
The Stadia web experience is ‘currently in beta’ (as indicated in the screenshot above) and Google advises you to install the latest iOS 14.3 update for a smooth experience. It will fix any audio issues that you face on the previous builds. You can then connect an Xbox, Stadia, or PS4 DualShock controller to play the games. If you don’t have either of those, you can rely on on-screen controls (as shown in the screenshot above).
Google Stadia had only been available on desktop, Pixel phones, and Chromecast Ultra dongle. The expansion of the streaming service to iOS is a major step and could usher a new era of gaming.
