NEWS: Microsoft announces Xbox Live for any iOS or Android game

Microsoft is bringing its Xbox Live network to iOS and Android devices. The software giant is launching a new cross-platform mobile software development kit (SDK) for game developers to bring Xbox Live functionality to games that run on iOS and Android. Xbox Live features like achievements, Gamerscore, hero stats, friend lists, clubs, and even some family settings will all be available on iOS and Android.

“We believe so strongly in community, and Xbox Live really being at the heart of our gaming community,” explains Kareem Choudhry, Microsoft’s gaming cloud chief in a media briefing this week. “If you watch what we’ve done, especially with Minecraft, over the past few years we’ve taken Xbox Live to as many platforms as Minecraft is on as possible. Really uniting all those communities together with a consistent singular experience for those gamers.”

Microsoft wants game developers to take a similar Minecraft approach and bring Xbox Live to more mobile games. Some iOS and Android games already have Xbox Live Achievements, but they’re only enabled in titles from Microsoft Studios at the moment and this new SDK will open up Xbox Live functionality to many more games.

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UPDATE: Xbox One April System Update

The April system update is rolling out today, bringing you another round of new features that will make your favorite Xbox One experiences even better. Whether you want easier access to game content, troubleshooting help with party chat or improved achievement notifications, we've got something for everyone this month.




Check out the full list of features rolling out below:

• Party chat improvements – Additional icons and notifications within the party chat experience to help you understand your connection and microphone status. The party app will help you get your microphone enabled and show you when privacy settings or networking issues are blocking communication with particular party members.

• Game hub links – You’ll see activity feed items when any of your friends follow a game, and you’ll also be able to get back to a game’s hub from activity feed posts related to the game – including feed items about the game’s achievements, game clips and screenshots.

• Achievement notifications – With this update, you’ll also see the achievement’s description in the notification so you know what you did to earn this achievement without having to open the achievements app.

• What’s On – The What’s On area is now available for Xbox One users in the U.S., Canada, and the UK. In it, you’ll find links to popular videos, games, movies, TV shows, game broadcasts and clips, along with Trending TV shows if you have configured OneGuide for your Xbox One console.

We are keeping voice messaging and dedicated servers for party chat in preview as we continue to fine-tune them based on feedback from preview program members.

UPDATE: First Wave of Xbox One April System Updates Now in Preview

This month, they are rolling out updates to the Xbox One Preview program members in two waves, with the first set coming today and more to come next week. Check out the list below for features in this first April system update preview that is starting to roll out this afternoon:

• Party chat improvements – Party chat is being improved with troubleshooting guidance for Xbox One owners. The Party App will help you get your microphone enabled and show you when privacy settings or networking issues are blocking communication with particular party members.
•  Game hub links – Members can more easily discover game hub content from activity feed items. You’ll see activity feed items when any of your friends follow a game, and you’ll also be able to get back to a game’s hub from activity feed posts related to the game – including feed items about the game’s achievements, game clips and screenshots. Finally, we’ve added a link to game hubs from the game’s page in the achievements app.
•  Achievement notifications – With this preview release, you’ll also see the achievement’s description in the notification so you know what you did to earn this achievement without having to open the achievements app. If you do choose to open up the notification to see the achievement details, we’ve also made some performance improvements to make loading the achievements app from a notification faster.