Boosteroid on iOS Without Limits: 4K, 120 FPS, HDR, and More on iPhone & iPad

Boosteroid delivers up to 4K resolution, 120 FPS, and a growing library of PC games you can stream from any device. But open it on your iPhone or iPad in Safari, and the experience takes a hit: no control over resolution, 60 FPS max, no rumble, no mouse lock, and no fullscreen.

Here’s what’s holding you back, and how CloudGear fixes all of it — plus adds HDR that Boosteroid doesn’t offer anywhere else.

What Safari Takes Away

Safari is a fine general-purpose browser, but it was never designed for cloud gaming. When you use Boosteroid through Safari on iOS, you hit a wall of limitations that prevent the service from delivering its full potential.

Visuals & Performance

• No resolution control — Boosteroid auto-selects a resolution based on your display size on desktop and mobile, with no way to change it (TV clients do allow manual selection). CloudGear brings that same configurability to iPhone and iPad.
• Frame rate limited to 60 FPS — Boosteroid supports up to 120 FPS, but in Safari the stream tops out at 60 — even on ProMotion displays.
• No 10-bit color — Without 10-bit support, color gradients show visible banding instead of smooth transitions.
• H.264 only — In Safari, Boosteroid streams using H.264 only. The newer AV1 codec that delivers better image quality at lower bandwidth is unavailable.
• No frame pacing — Network jitter causes frames to arrive unevenly, creating visible stutter even on a fast connection. Safari has no mechanism to smooth this out.

Controls & Input

• No controller rumble — Safari lacks the Gamepad Haptics API. Your controller sits silent no matter what happens in-game.
• No mouse pointer lock — Games that need a mouse (FPS titles, MMOs, strategy games) are essentially unplayable because Safari can’t lock the cursor to the game window.

Experience

• No true fullscreen — Safari’s address bar, status bar, and other chrome intrude on the game view.
• No native external display output — Connecting to a TV or monitor through Safari results in mirroring with black bars and scaling issues, not a native full-screen signal.

That’s a long list of missing features — and they add up to a significantly compromised experience compared to what Boosteroid can actually deliver.

CloudGear: The Full Boosteroid Experience on iOS

CloudGear is a browser designed for gamers. It uses a custom low-latency rendering engine and deep hardware integration to deliver every feature that Safari leaves on the table — and then goes further, adding HDR support that no other Boosteroid client offers, not even on desktop. It’s not a streaming service — it’s the client that unlocks the full potential of Boosteroid on your iPhone or iPad.

Safari vs. CloudGear: Feature Comparison

*HDR and 10-bit color require the AV1 codec, which is only available on devices with hardware AV1 decoding (iPhone 15 Pro or later, iPad with M1 or later). Specific feature availability like resolution and FPS depends on your subscription tier.

Deep Dive: What Changes with CloudGear

Resolution & Frame Rate

Boosteroid automatically selects a streaming resolution based on your display size on desktop and mobile, with no way to change it (TV clients do allow manual selection). CloudGear brings that same control to iPhone and iPad. You can configure the stream resolution up to 3840 x 2160 (4K), selecting the exact quality level that suits your display and network conditions.

On a 12.9” iPad Pro or connected to a 4K TV, the ability to request a full 4K stream makes a visible difference. Text is crisp, distant objects are sharp, and the overall image quality matches what you’d see on a desktop setup.

Frame rate matters just as much. On devices with ProMotion displays (120Hz), CloudGear unlocks up to 120 FPS and allows you to set the frame rate in Boosteroid’s own settings. The jump from 60 to 120 FPS is transformative — camera movements are smoother, input feels more responsive, and fast-paced games like shooters and racing titles gain a tangible competitive edge.

CloudGear also includes frame pacing, which buffers one extra frame to absorb network jitter — the small fluctuations in frame delivery time that cause visible stutter even on a fast connection. This adds a tiny amount of latency (16.6 ms at 60 FPS, or 8.3 ms at 120 FPS) in exchange for noticeably smoother playback.

HDR & 10-Bit Color — A CloudGear Exclusive

This is something no other Boosteroid client offers — not even the desktop app. Boosteroid doesn’t officially support HDR on any platform. CloudGear changes that.

HDR brings brighter highlights, deeper blacks, and a wider color gamut. In games that support it, sunlight looks more natural, explosions pop, and dark environments reveal detail that gets crushed in SDR. If you want HDR from a Boosteroid stream, CloudGear is currently the only way to get it, on any device.

CloudGear also enables 10-bit color output. Ten-bit color means 1.07 billion colors instead of the 16.7 million you get with 8-bit — practically, this eliminates the color banding you see in gradients like sunsets and fog effects.

Both HDR and 10-bit color require the AV1 codec, so you’ll need a device with hardware AV1 decoding — iPhone 15 Pro or later, or an iPad with an M1 chip or later.

AV1 Codec

Safari decodes Boosteroid streams using H.264, a codec from 2003. It works, but it requires more bandwidth to achieve the same image quality as modern codecs.

CloudGear supports AV1, which delivers noticeably better image quality at the same bitrate — or the same quality at lower bandwidth. This is especially valuable on mobile connections or congested WiFi networks. If you’ve ever noticed blocky artifacts or muddy textures during fast action, switching to AV1 can make a significant difference.

AV1 requires hardware decoding support — iPhone 15 Pro or later, or an iPad with an M1 chip or later. It’s also a prerequisite for HDR and 10-bit color with Boosteroid, so if your device supports it, there’s every reason to enable it.

Controller Rumble

A game without rumble is a game without feel. Explosions, engine vibrations, footsteps, weapon recoil — all of it disappears in Safari because the browser lacks the Gamepad Haptics API.

CloudGear restores full rumble support for Xbox, PlayStation, and other controllers with built-in motors. For form-fitting mobile controllers like the Backbone One that lack motors, CloudGear uses your iPhone’s Taptic Engine to simulate vibration.

For a deep dive into compatible controllers and how the Taptic Engine fallback works, see our controller rumble guide.

Mouse & Keyboard

Mouse pointer lock is what lets a game capture your cursor so you can look around, aim, and interact without the mouse escaping the game window. Safari doesn’t support it, which makes mouse-driven games essentially unplayable.

CloudGear enables full mouse pointer lock. This means games that require a mouse — MMOs, FPS titles, strategy games, and anything with a PC-native interface — are fully playable on iPhone and iPad. Boosteroid streams PC versions of games, so any title with native mouse and keyboard support works exactly as it would on a desktop.

For the complete setup walkthrough, see our dedicated mouse and keyboard cloud gaming guide.

Fullscreen & External Display

Safari’s address bar and iOS status bar eat into your screen real estate. CloudGear provides a true immersive fullscreen mode — just the game, edge to edge. The browser interface is hidden and accessible via intuitive gestures when you need it.

Connect your iPhone or iPad to a TV, monitor, or AR glasses like XREAL, VITURE, Rokid, or RayNeo via USB-C or HDMI, and CloudGear outputs a native-resolution full-screen signal — no black bars, no scaling artifacts. Your iOS device becomes a full gaming console. The device screen dims automatically to save battery while the game plays on the big screen.

For the complete setup guide with adapter recommendations and tips, see our portable gaming console guide.

Setup Guide

Getting started takes less than five minutes:

1. Download CloudGear from the App Store on your iPhone or iPad.

2. Open the app and select Boosteroid from the CloudGear home screen.

3. Log in to your Boosteroid account. Any subscription tier works.

4. Set your stream resolution. Open CloudGear’s dropdown menu and tap Stream resolution. Choose from presets — 3840 x 2160 (4K), 2560 x 1440 (QHD), 2560 x 1080 (ultrawide) — or set a custom resolution. The default Auto mode matches your display’s native resolution.

5. Enable HDR (optional). In the same dropdown menu, tap HDR (experimental) and select Enable. This requires a device with AV1 hardware decoding (iPhone 15 Pro or later, iPad with M1 or later).

6. Set frame rate in Boosteroid. Inside the Boosteroid web app, go to its settings and set the frame rate to 120 FPS if your device has a ProMotion display.

7. Connect your peripherals. Pair a Bluetooth controller, mouse, or keyboard via iOS Settings > Bluetooth. CloudGear enables rumble and pointer lock automatically — no extra configuration needed.

8. Launch a game from your Boosteroid library and play with the full experience.

Note: Boosteroid does not have a way to explicitly end a streaming session. If you change settings like resolution or HDR while a game is running, launch any other game first to terminate the current session, then relaunch the original game — the new settings will be applied.

Optimization Tips

• Use 5GHz WiFi or Ethernet. 2.4GHz WiFi introduces latency and packet loss. For the lowest latency, use a USB-C hub with an Ethernet port for a wired connection.
• Match your stream resolution to your display. In Auto mode, Boosteroid selects the highest resolution matching your display’s aspect ratio — this works well in most cases and is recommended for both iPhone and iPad. When using an external display, consider forcing 4K (3840 x 2160) for the sharpest image.
• Pick the right controller. Xbox Series X/S and PS5 DualSense controllers both support native rumble. For iPhone with a form-fitting controller, CloudGear’s Taptic Engine fallback provides haptic feedback.
• Enable AV1. If your connection is congested or you’re on mobile data, switching from H.264 to AV1 can reduce artifacts without increasing bandwidth.
• Restart sessions after changing settings. Boosteroid doesn’t have a way to explicitly end a streaming session. If you change resolution, HDR, or other settings mid-game, launch any other game to terminate the current session, then relaunch the original — the new settings will take effect.
• Use passthrough charging. Long sessions drain your battery. A USB-C hub with passthrough charging keeps your device powered while connected to an external display.
• Also use GeForce NOW? Check out our GeForce NOW guide for service-specific tips — CloudGear unlocks even more on GFN Ultimate, including 5K resolution and 7.1 surround sound.

Unlock the Full Boosteroid Experience

Safari is holding Boosteroid back on iOS. Frame rate is capped, controller rumble is silent, and mouse-driven games are unplayable. Even outside Safari, no Boosteroid client gives you control over resolution or HDR — until now.

CloudGear gives it all back. One app, every feature, on any screen.

Download CloudGear on the App Store