Xbox forced to delay game purchasing feature for Android Xbox app

Xbox forced to delay game purchasing feature for Android Xbox app

Microsoft has announced that its Android Xbox app store has been delayed due to a "temporary administrative stay" granted by the courts.

Tom West

Published 28 Nov 2024

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Tom West
Microsoft's Android app store has been delayed, meaning players in the US won't be able to purchase and play the best Xbox games via the Xbox app on Android phones just yet. The feature was planned to roll out this month following a court ruling in October that forced Google to open its Play Store to competitors.

Microsoft delays Android Xbox app feature to let players buy and play Xbox games

• Microsoft announced a new Android Xbox app feature for buying and playing Xbox games on mobile in October.
• The feature was announced after a court ruled that Google must open its Play Store to competitors for three years.
• A court has now granted a "temporary administrative stay" on Microsoft's plans, delaying the feature's rollout for an indefinite time.

Microsoft has announced that it already has the feature's functionality built and ready to go but is unable to roll it out to Xbox players in the US due to a court ruling that has granted Google's request for a temporary administrative stay. Xbox president Sarah Bond says that team is ready to let players purchase and play games via the Android Xbox app "as soon as the court makes a final decision."

"At Xbox, we want to offer players more choice on how and where they play, including being able to play and buy games directly from the Xbox app," Bond announced on X. "I recently shared our ambition to unlock these features first with the Google Play Store on Android devices in the U.S. while other app stores adapt to meet consumer demand.

"Due to a temporary administrative stay recently granted by the courts, we are currently unable to launch these features as planned. Our team has the functionality built and ready to go live as soon as the court makes a final decision. We are eager to launch and give more choice and flexibility to players."

Google spokesperson Dan Jackson has responded to the news with the same statement the company shared weeks ago (thanks, The Verge): "Microsoft has always been able to offer their Android users the ability to play and purchase Xbox games directly from their app – they’ve simply chosen not to. The Court’s order, and rush to force its implementation, threaten Google Play’s ability to provide a safe and secure experience. Microsoft, like Epic, are ignoring these very real security concerns. We remain focused on supporting an ecosystem that works for everyone, not just two of the largest game companies."

The upcoming feature was revealed in October following a US court ruling that determined that Google is running a monopoly with its Google Play Store. The company was ordered to open the store to competitors for three years, which would allow third-party app stores to be distributed on the platform. The court also found that the forced use of Google Play Billing was an illegal requirement, and ordered for it to be stopped.

Earlier this month, Microsoft rolled out a new feature that allows Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers to stream some of their owned games via Xbox Cloud Gaming. Sadly, this feature would have worked great with the company's mobile plans, but we'll have to wait and see how that pans out.
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Written by Tom West
Tom has been playing video games since he was old enough to hold a controller, experimenting with a number of systems until he eventually fell in love with Xbox. With a passion for the platform, he decided to make a career out of it, and now happily spends his days writing about that which he loves. If he’s not hunting for Xbox achievements, you’ll likely find him somewhere in The Elder Scrolls Online or fighting for survival in Battlefield.