Microsoft has long been working on developing an Xbox mobile storefront for Android and iOS platforms. The Xbox Store app will allow users to bypass Google’s Play Store and Apple’s App Store and purchase and launch games directly from Microsoft’s own app. Although the company planned to launch the Xbox app on Android in November, the Xbox parent company has been unable to do so due to a hold on an October court order directing Google to open its Play Store and allow competition.
Xbox storefront for Android delayed
Xbox president Sarah Bond said in a post on X rival Bluesky on Thursday that Microsoft can’t roll out a feature that would allow Android users to buy and play games directly from the Xbox app because of a court stay on the Play Store reform order.
“At Xbox, we want to give players more choices in how and where they play, including the ability to play and purchase games directly from the Xbox app,” Bond said in a post on the platform.
“I recently shared our ambition to unlock these features first through the Google Play Store on U.S. Android devices, with other app stores adapting to consumer demand.
“Due to the court’s recent grant of a temporary administrative stay, we are currently unable to launch these features as planned. Our team has built these features and is ready to go live as soon as the court makes its final decision.”
3/4: Due to the 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 as soon as the court makes its final decision.
— BondSarahBond (@bondsarahbond.bsky.social) November 28, 2024 at 2:45am
Bond said Microsoft is eager to launch Xbox apps and provide “more choice and flexibility for gamers.” The Xbox president said the same thing in October, when a U.S. court ordered Google to overhaul its Play Store policies to allow Android users to purchase and download apps from other markets. Bond said at the time that starting in November, Android users would be able to purchase and play games through the Xbox app on the platform.
“The court’s ruling opening up the Google Mobile Store in the U.S. will bring more choice and flexibility,” Bond said in a post on
However, a Google spokesperson said in a statement to The Verge that Microsoft could offer Android users the ability to purchase and play games from the Xbox app, but the company has chosen not to do so. “The court order, and the rush to enforce it, threatens Google Play’s ability to deliver a safe and secure experience. Microsoft, like Epic, is ignoring these very real security concerns. We remain focused on supporting an ecosystem that works for everyone, not just the two largest gaming companies,” the spokesperson said.
Court ruling on Google Play Store
The Xbox mobile market is the latest flashpoint in a contentious antitrust minefield over Apple and Google’s strict mobile app store policies that they say hinder competition on their respective platforms. Fortnite maker Epic Games has filed antitrust lawsuits against the two companies over Play Store and App Store rules that impose commissions on every purchase and ban alternative storefronts.
In October, a US court ordered Google to overhaul the Play Store to provide Android users with an alternative storefront for downloading apps. Users will be able to pay transaction fees within competitors’ storefronts. According to the order, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney said that the Epic Games Store and other app stores will be available on Google Play in 2025.
Weeks later, however, Google was allowed to put the court order on hold because the tech giant argued it would harm the company and pose “serious safety, security, and privacy risks to the Android ecosystem.”
In March 2023, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer said that the company would launch its own app store for Xbox games and third-party content on iOS and Android. The store was initially expected to go live in March 2024.
Later that December, Spencer said that Microsoft was in talks with third-party partners and claimed that the Xbox mobile storefront might launch sooner rather than later. “This is an important part of our strategy and we’re working aggressively today not only on our own but also talking to other partners who also want to see more options on how to monetize calls,” Spencer reportedly said in an interview at the time.
