As we’re getting closer to the launch of Microsoft’s next-gen Xbox consoles in November, the company is launching today a redesigned Xbox beta app for Android. The new client has been rewritten from the ground up and uses the same modern design language seen on the Xbox Game Pass mobile app, the Xbox app for Windows 10, as well as the new Xbox UI that will ship on all Xbox consoles later this fall.
Interestingly, this new Xbox app will allow consumers to set up their new Xbox Series X or Series console in November. The app will help users configure settings while the console updates, and choose which games to install on the internal storage. The new app will help Xbox gamers stay connected with their console with a new unified notification inbox, and a new way to share screenshots and clips right from the app.
“The Xbox app (Beta) will let you know when you capture is done uploading and ready to share, and your favorite gaming moments will automatically be compiled in a library with the option to save directly to your phone,” the Xbox team explained. With the new Xbox Wireless Controller adding a new Share button, recording screenshots and game clips will be pretty seamless, but Microsoft acknowledged than sharing them with friends is sometimes easier to do on a phone than from the console.
The biggest feature that this new Xbox beta for Android is introducing is Xbox remote play, which will allow gamers to stream all Xbox games installed on their console to their Android phone or tablet. Microsoft has been testing this feature for quite some time with Xbox Insiders, and it should be a nice complement to the company’s Cloud Gaming offering (Project xCloud) that’s now available for free with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. Xbox remote play will also work with any Xbox Game Pass titles installed on your console, which is great.
The Xbox team didn’t say today if iOS users are also getting a redesigned Xbox app, but if that’s the case, the iOS client likely won’t support Xbox remote play. Apple’s iOS App Store has pretty restrictive rules regarding game streaming apps that have so far prevented Microsoft from bringing its Cloud gaming service (Project xCloud to iPhones and iPads). Still, we wouldn’t be surprised if iOS users get a new Xbox app with a similar look in the coming weeks. In the meantime, the new Xbox beta app for Android can be downloaded from the link below.
