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Microsoft is currently testing a fully featured store section inside the Xbox app for Android. It includes game purchases, DLC, and the ability to build your wishlist.
The update is still in testing, but is expected to be released on iOS and Android. Users on Android can access it now through the Xbox beta app, and users on iOS cannot access the update yet.
The new store tab provides users with searchable listings for games, DLC, and bundles, just like the store on your Xbox console. You can also filter by options such as Xbox Play Anywhere. Additionally, wishlisting support is being added and will sync across devices, whether you wishlist within the app, on the web, or on your Xbox console.
Prior to this, users lacked a full storefront, and the search bar tried to pull in games, people, and more at the same time. It made looking for actual content feel messy on mobile. The Xbox app has always been useful for queuing downloads to your console, but it never offered a real storefront of its own.
If you wanted to buy something, the app often pushed you to a web page instead. There was also no wishlist system on mobile, meaning you could only wishlist games on console or on the web.
A step in the right direction
With this update, the Xbox app is now much more feature-complete and mirrors what you can find on the web and console. Letting users browse titles, purchase add-ons, and manage a synced wishlist without leaving the app.
Microsoft is just testing the new features for now, and there is no confirmed timeline or official statement on when they will appear for everyone. Currently, it’s only available on the beta branch of the Xbox app on Android, but this move does align with the company’s long-term goal of building out a broader Xbox mobile store, something it was not able to launch last year. This update moves the app closer to that direction.
However, users should not expect mobile games that install directly through the Xbox app. This update focuses purely on console and PC content rather than standalone mobile titles.
Perhaps just as important, the Xbox app now feels much better and noticeably faster, and might actually be good now? If you have access to the update, let us know what you think and whether it feels like a real improvement or more of the same. In our testing, it does seem far smoother than before.
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