Valve's Steam Link app for iOS has been rejected by Apple over "business conflicts".

The Steam Link service allows players to remotely stream games from their desktop PC to a mobile device, by accepting inputs from the original device and streaming them as video to the user's tablet, phone or TV. Steam Link is already available for some smart TVs, and a successful beta launch for Android was carried out earlier this month, so Valve was primed to release the service on Apple iOS devices.

Here's a quick timeline. The Steam Link iOS app was actually approved by Apple on Monday, May 7th. The following Wednesday, Valve released news that the Steam Link app had been approved and would soon be available for iOS devices. The morning after, though, Apple revoked its approval, citing "business conflicts with app guidelines" that had allegedly been overlooked by the review team originally assigned to the app. Valve appealed the decision, using the argument that their app was very similar to other LAN remote desktop-style apps already available on the App Store. The appeal was denied, which leaves Valve without a Steam Link app for iOS.

Valve is "clearly disappointed" about the decision, as the Steam Link iOS team "spent many hours on this project and the approval process". They "hope Apple will reconsider in the future", which rather makes the rejection sound like a done deal; with the initial rejection and the appeal rejection, it's not looking likely that the Steam Link iOS app will see the light of day.

The exact reasoning behind Apple's decision is, like many of Apple's practices, rather shrouded in mystery. The Cupertino company does run quite a tight ship when it comes to their ecosystem, though, so perhaps the idea of accessing a third-party app store (Steam) through an iOS device made them balk. Of course, if you're an Android user it's still full steam ahead on the Steam Link Android app, so you won't be affected by this decision.

What are your thoughts on Apple's decision? Were you looking forward to using Steam on your iPhone or iPad? Let us know in the comments!