What you must know
- Xbox is including help for buying video games by way of the Android cell app.
- Customers should purchase an Xbox sport from their Android telephone in two faucets and set it to routinely set up on their console remotely.
- The platform can be eradicating Distant Play help from the app, however it’ll stay accessible on the cell internet shopper.
Whereas different on-line gaming storefronts allowed Android customers to purchase video games from their smartphones, like Steam, this function was notably absent from the Xbox app. Now, that is lastly altering. Within the Xbox April Replace, the platform added help for purchasing video games, buying add-ons, subscribing to Recreation Go, and redeem Perks straight from an iOS Android gadget.
The expanded performance is ready to turn into accessible for beta testers on each Android and iOS first, with all Google Play Retailer customers and App Retailer customers getting the function at a later date. For customers which have fee info saved with Xbox, it’s going to solely take two clicks on their Android telephone to purchase a brand new sport. This streamlines the looking and buying course of, which will be troublesome on an Xbox as a result of controller limitations.
If this sounds acquainted, it ought to: Xbox introduced plans to help this function manner again in October 2024. It resulted from a U.S. court docket resolution that barred Google from mandating builders use Google Play Billing to course of in-app purchases. However as a result of court docket delays, Microsoft needed to put its plans on pause till issues might be sorted out.
Shopping for Xbox video games from the Android cell app is now attainable as a result of requirement for builders to make use of Google Play Billing being dropped. With Google Play Billing, Xbox would’ve needed to give up a reduce to Google for processing funds by way of the Play Retailer.
On the time, Xbox President Sarah Bond acknowledged that these adjustments would make it attainable for the corporate to supply Xbox purchases throughout the Android app. “The court docket’s ruling to open up Google’s cell retailer within the US will enable extra alternative and adaptability,” mentioned Bond in an October 2024 put up.
Other than buying video games and add-ons within the Xbox app, customers may also remotely set up these video games on their Xbox console. So, customers should purchase an app on their Android telephone and have it put in and able to go by the point they return residence.
Individually, Xbox is eradicating Distant Play help from the Android app, however it’ll nonetheless stay accessible on cell by way of the xbox.com/remoteplay web site.
