EA AND STEAM CONNECT

Hello. I became an Xbox Game Pass PC member and logged in with my EA account. Later, I added my Steam account to both platforms. However, I cannot see my friends who play F1 22 on Steam. Even though I linked my EA account, they do not appear. When I buy EA Play from Steam, I can see my friends and join their games. What's weird is that both the EA Play membership I got from Xbox Game Pass and the one I got from Steam were recognized on my EA account :D. My question is, why does EA, as the game's developer, have two different versions? What's the difference between those who buy EA Play from Steam and those who get it from Xbox Game Pass PC? Why is there a distinction?