Microsoft has long been working on an Xbox mobile storefront for Android and iOS platforms. The Xbox store app would allow users to bypass Google's Play Store and Apple's App Store and directly buy and launch games off Microsoft's own application. Despite the company's plans to launch an Xbox app on Android in November, the Xbox parent has been unable to do so owing to a stay on the October court order that directed Google to open up its Play Store and allow competition.
Xbox Storefront on Android Delayed
In a thread on X rival Bluesky Thursday, Xbox president Sarah Bond said Microsoft was unable to roll out features that would allow Android users to buy and play games directly from the Xbox app due to a court's stay on the Play Store overhaul order.
“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 said in her post on the platform.
“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.”
3/4: 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.
— BondSarahBond (@bondsarahbond.bsky.social) November 28, 2024 at 2:45 AM
Bond said Microsoft was eager to launch the Xbox app and provide “more choice and flexibility to players.” The Xbox president had said as much in October when a US court ordered Google to overhaul its Play Store policies, allowing Android users to buy and download apps from other marketplaces. Bond had said at the time that Android users would be able to buy and play games from the Xbox app on the platform from November.
“The court's ruling to open up Google´s mobile store in the US will allow more choice and flexibility. 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,” Bond had said in a post on X.
In a statement to The Verge, however, a Google spokesperson said Microsoft could offer Android users the ability to buy and play games from the Xbox app, but the company had 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 spokesperson said.
Court Ruling on Google's Play Store
The Xbox mobile marketplace is the latest flashpoint in the contentious antitrust minefield that is Apple and Google's stringent mobile app storefront policies that allegedly thwart competition on their respective platforms. Fortnite maker Epic Games had brought antitrust lawsuits against both companies over Play Store and App Store rules that enforce a commission on every purchase and prohibit alternative storefronts.
In October, a US court ordered Google to overhaul the Play Store to provide Android users alternative storefronts to download apps. Users would be able to pay for their transactions within rival storefronts. Following the order, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney had said the Epic Games Store and other app stores would come to Google Play in 2025.
Weeks later, however, Google was granted a temporary stay on the court order after the tech giant argued it would harm the company and introduce “serious safety, security and privacy risks into the Android ecosystem.”
In March 2023, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer had said the company would launch its own app store for Xbox games and third-party content on iOS and Android. The storefront was initially expected to go live by March 2024.
Later that year in December, Spencer said Microsoft was in talks with third-party partners, claiming the Xbox mobile storefront could launch sooner rather than later. “It's an important part of our strategy and something we are actively working on today not only alone, but talking to other partners who'd also like to see more choice for how they can monetize on the phone,'' Spencer had reportedly said in an interview at the time.
