Adamya Sharma / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Microsoft is finally opening up its Xbox mobile app to support purchases.
- First announced last fall but quickly put on hold, purchasing is available in beta now, with plans to expand to everyone soon.
- Microsoft is also expanding access to its stream-your-own-games feature.
No one should be surprised to learn that mobile tech aficionados frequently also harbor a serious interest in gaming, and that’s just one of the many reasons we were so excited last fall to hear about Microsoft’s plans to expand its Android Xbox app. The idea was to let users purchase Xbox games right through the app, taking advantage of new legal precedent in the wake of the Epic Play Store suit. But after the courts pumped the brakes on the most substantial changes that would have stemmed from that ruling, Microsoft froze its plans to launch the feature, despite noting that it was technically ready to go. Now, five months later, we’re finally about to get it.
Microsoft shares that purchases in the Xbox app are now arriving in beta on both Android and iOS, with plans to “soon” extend that to everyone. In addition to full games, you’ll also be able to buy DLC, and even sign up for Game Pass.
That on its own is great news to finally get, but it’s only one facet of today’s announcements. We’re also learning about an expansion to the program that Microsoft launched last year which let you stream not just Game Pass games, but also games you own. That was initially quite limited in terms of the games it supported, and while it still doesn’t include every title possible, the library has now grown to include over 100 games, with Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed and Subnautica 2 among the most recent additions.
There are also improvements arriving for how you can access this steam-your-own-game program. While it initially supported phones, tablets, PCs, and even select TVs, that didn’t extend to Xbox consoles themselves — kind of a major oversight, right? Beginning today, that’s no longer the case, and Game Pass Ultimate members can use their Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One consoles to stream supported games that they own, without needing to actually install that software locally.
Finally, there’s a slight tweak to Xbox remote play, which is moving from the Xbox app to Microsoft’s website. The company says this move will help its teams optimize streaming performance, which sounds fine to us.