Mr Viral
Court ruling forces Google to “open up” its mobile store
by Liam Doolan Fri, 3:45am
Image: XboxWell, here’s an interesting development – Microsoft will be updating its Xbox app on Android devices next month to allow US users to purchase as well as play Xbox games on their mobile devices.
This follows a US court ruling this week which stops the requirement of Google Play Billing for app purchases in the Play Store. This will come into effect at the start of next month on November 1st, 2024 (thanks, The Verge).
Xbox president Sarah Bond has shared a message about this on social media while reminding her followers about Xbox’s mission to “allow more players to play on more devices”:
“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.”
As further explained by The Verge, “Google’s Android app store is an illegal monopoly, and the search giant has been ordered to open up the Play Store to competition for three years”. As already highlighted, it’s no longer able to force developers to use Google Play Billing.
This again means Microsoft can now “sell Xbox games freely on Android devices”, with cloud features allowing users to stream and play them after purchase. Until now, Xbox Cloud Gaming has been exclusive to the Game Pass library of titles, and it remains to be seen whether this will still be the case when November rolls around.
If we hear any other developments, we’ll let you know.
[source theverge.com]
Liam is a news writer and reviewer for Nintendo Life and Pure Xbox. He’s been writing about games for more than 15 years and is a lifelong fan of Mario and Master Chief.
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