Microsoft has announced a big shift for its mobile app strategy. The standalone Xbox Game Pass app is being discontinued, with its features being merged into the existing Xbox app for iOS. Here are the full details.
Updated Xbox app with Game Pass features coming soon
Here’s the announcement from Microsoft’s Xbox Wire post:
Starting this week, we’re streamlining the mobile app experience by moving features from the separate Xbox Game Pass app into the Xbox app. These updates will be available for Xbox beta members on mobile and will be coming to everyone soon. As part of these changes, we will no longer support new downloads of the Xbox Game Pass app, starting in November.
If you’d like to grab the Xbox Game Pass app while it’s still available, you can do so on the App Store. However, starting in November only the streamlined Xbox app will be available.
You have to wonder if this shift is in part a result of the ongoing feud between Apple and Microsoft over cloud gaming. Maybe the two are entirely unrelated. But this new, streamlined approach for Xbox apps could be impacted by the continued lack of an Xbox Cloud Gaming offering on iOS.
Features coming to revised Xbox iOS app
Microsoft details some of the key additions to the Xbox app to expect once the merge is complete.
Key features – like the ability to explore Game Pass and manage your membership – will now be found in one place with the Xbox app on mobile. You’ll be able to browse the full Game Pass catalog to find your favorite games and stay in the loop with alerts for new games coming to the service.
Personally, I’m interested in getting some hands-on time with the updated Xbox app. Until then, it’s hard to judge whether this change will be a good one or not. I’m all for unifying features into a single app when it works. But sometimes apps can grow bloated when they try to do much.
What do you think of this change? Do you prefer a one-app approach, or not? Let us know in the comments.
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