Microsoft and Google are on two different sides of the fence about whether Xbox is able to sell games on its Android app or not. Back in October, the court issued an order that Google should open its marketplace to competitors. This was supposed to start in November 2024, allowing third-party stores to distribute their own products.
Microsoft executive, Sarah Bond, said that November would be when people can start buying games from the Xbox app on Android. Now she has reported that although everything on the Xbox side is ready to launch these new features, it is apparently being blocked by Google.
The reason is that Google has requested an emergency stay that has paused the ruling is so it gives it time to provide “a safe and trusted user experience.” This is why Xbox will have to wait until this is lifted. Bond said on social media that as soon as Xbox is able, these new features will go live.
But then on the other side, Google said that Bond’s statements aren’t true and that there is nothing stopping Xbox from launching its new features to its app. Dan Jackson from Google claimed that Microsoft has always been able to offer its users the ability to purchase games from the app, but simply chose not to.
All this comes through the Epic Games lawsuit against Google that also forces Google to:
- Not be allowed to pay developers to launch apps first or exclusively through the Play Store.
- Be barred from offering manufacturers or carriers incentives to pre-install Google Play (or to not pre-install rival stores) on new devices.
- Not be able to force app makers to use Google Play Billing.
- Not be allowed to require a developer to set a price based on whether Google Play is used.
- Not be able to restrict developers from pointing users to external payment options outside of the Play Store.
Xbox has been planning this launch for a long time, even Phil Spencer talked about how Microsoft is just waiting for the date when it becomes legally possible.
