In a statement, Microsoft executive Sarah Bond said the Xbox App on Android will allow players to play and purchase Xbox games directly. It’s nearly December, and the feature is still not available.
According to Bond, Microsoft has already built the functionality for Android users to buy and play Xbox games through their app. However, they can’t launch it yet due to ongoing legal issues with Google’s Play Store.
The delay stems from a recent court decision involving Google’s app store practices. While a judge ruled that Google’s Play Store is an illegal monopoly, Google was granted a temporary pause to appeal the decision. This legal pause is what’s preventing Microsoft from rolling out their new store features.
Bond explained on Bluesky that their team has everything ready to go – they’re just waiting for the courts to make their final decision.
Google, however, tells a different story. Their spokesperson Dan Jackson claims Microsoft could have offered these features all along but chose not to. Google argues that they’re focused on maintaining a secure ecosystem for everyone, not just major gaming companies like Microsoft and Epic.
This isn’t a new venture for Microsoft – they’ve been planning to expand into mobile app stores for several years. They also have a browser-based mobile store in development, though it’s still showing a “coming soon” message since August.
What remains unclear is why Microsoft can’t offer game purchases through their app when other platforms like Steam and PlayStation already do this on Android devices.
