Microsoft is planning to update its Xbox mobile app on Android to allow US users to purchase and then play Xbox games on their mobile devices next month. Following a US court ruling earlier this week that forces Google to stop requiring Google Play Billing for apps in the Play Store on November 1st, Microsoft is ready to take advantage of the changes.
“The court’s ruling to open up Google’s mobile store in the US will allow more choice and flexibility,” says Xbox president Sarah Bond in a post on X. “Our mission is to allow more players to play on more devices so we are thrilled to share that starting in November, players will be able to play and purchase Xbox games directly from the Xbox App on Android.”
Google’s Android app store is an illegal monopoly, and the search giant has been ordered to open up the Play Store to competition for three years. This means no longer forcing developers to use its own Google Play Billing after a jury found that Google had illegally tied its payment system to its app store. Google will also have to distribute rival third-party app stores within Google Play.
Xbox store purchase support directly in the mobile Android app will allow Microsoft to sell Xbox games freely on Android devices, and integrated Xbox Cloud Gaming features mean people will be able to immediately stream games to their handsets after purchasing them.
It’s not immediately clear why Microsoft can’t already provide Xbox game purchases inside its Android mobile app, though. You can buy games from Steam or the PlayStation Store on mobile devices, so Microsoft has long been the exception here. I asked Microsoft for more details on the store changes, but the company says Bond’s statement is all it has to share right now.
Separately, Microsoft is also working on a browser-based Xbox mobile store that it was originally planning to launch in July. The store will eventually focus on first-party mobile games from Microsoft’s various studios, but initially it will feature deals and in-game items. Microsoft said in August that testing had begun on the web-based mobile store and “work is progressing well and we will have more to share in the future.”
Update, October 11th: Article updated to note Microsoft isn’t sharing any more details on its Xbox mobile changes on Android.
