Microsoft has long been working on an Xbox mobile storefront for Android and iOS platforms. The Xbox store app would allow users to bypass Google’s Play Store and Apple’s App Store and directly buy and launch games off Microsoft’s own application. Despite the company’s plans to launch an Xbox app on Android in November, the Xbox parent has been unable to do so owing to a stay on the October court order that directed Google to open up its Play Store and allow competition.

Xbox Storefront on Android Delayed

In a thread on X rival Bluesky Thursday, Xbox president Sarah Bond said Microsoft was unable to roll out features that would allow Android users to buy and play games directly from the Xbox app due to a court’s stay on the Play Store overhaul order.

“At Xbox, we want to offer players more choice on how and where they play, including being able to play and buy games directly from the Xbox app,” Bond said in her post on the platform.

“I recently shared our ambition to unlock these features first with the Google Play Store on Android devices in the U.S. while other app stores adapt to meet consumer demand.

“Due to a 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 live as soon as the court makes a final decision.”

Bond said Microsoft was eager to launch the Xbox app and provide “more choice and flexibility to players.” The Xbox president had said as much in October when a US court ordered Google to overhaul its Play Store policies, allowing Android users to buy and download apps from other marketplaces. Bond had said at the time that Android users would be able to buy and play games from the Xbox app on the platform from November.

“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,” Bond had said in a post on X.

In a statement to The Verge, however, a Google spokesperson said Microsoft could offer Android users the ability to buy and play games from the Xbox app, but the company had chosen not to. “The Court’s order, and rush to force its implementation, threaten Google Play’s ability to provide a safe and secure experience. Microsoft, like Epic, are ignoring these very real security concerns. We remain focused on supporting an ecosystem that works for everyone, not just two of the largest game companies,” the spokesperson said.

Court Ruling on Google’s Play Store

The Xbox mobile marketplace is the latest flashpoint in the contentious antitrust minefield that is Apple and Google’s stringent mobile app storefront policies that allegedly thwart competition on their respective platforms. Fortnite maker Epic Games had brought antitrust lawsuits against both companies over Play Store and App Store rules that enforce a commission on every purchase and prohibit alternative storefronts.

In October, a US court ordered Google to overhaul the Play Store to provide Android users alternative storefronts to download apps. Users would be able to pay for their transactions within rival storefronts. Following the order, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney had said the Epic Games Store and other app stores would come to Google Play in 2025.

Weeks later, however, Google was granted a temporary stay on the court order after the tech giant argued it would harm the company and introduce “serious safety, security and privacy risks into the Android ecosystem.”

In March 2023, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer had said the company would launch its own app store for Xbox games and third-party content on iOS and Android. The storefront was initially expected to go live by March 2024.

Later that year in December, Spencer said Microsoft was in talks with third-party partners, claiming the Xbox mobile storefront could launch sooner rather than later. “It’s an important part of our strategy and something we are actively working on today not only alone, but talking to other partners who’d also like to see more choice for how they can monetize on the phone,” Spencer had reportedly said in an interview at the time.

India’s competition watchdog on Thursday ordered a probe into Google’s restrictive policies for real-money games on its platform, following a complaint by online gaming platform WinZO that called it discriminatory.

The move compounds Google’s regulatory headaches in India, where it has already been hit with at least two penalties for abusing its dominant position in the Android operating system market.

Google did not immediately respond to requests for comment made after working hours in India and with the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States.

WinZO, which offers real-money games, first approached the Competition Commission of India (CCI) in 2022, after a change in the US company’s gaming app policy continued to exclude WinZO from Google’s Play Store, even as it accepted some of its competitors.

The updated Google policy allowed real-money games for fantasy sports and rummy, but WinZO was rejected as it also offered games in other categories that Google does not accept, such as the Indian game of carrom, puzzles and car racing.

“By granting preferential treatment to select app categories, Google effectively creates a two-tier market where some developers are accorded superior access and visibility while others are discriminated against and thus, left with a competitive disadvantage,” a copy of the CCI order stated.

A CCI official is expected to complete its investigation into the matter within 60 days.

© Thomson Reuters 2024

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

India’s competition watchdog on Thursday ordered a probe into Google’s restrictive policies for real-money games on its platform, following a complaint by online gaming platform WinZO that called it discriminatory.

The move compounds Google’s regulatory headaches in India, where it has already been hit with at least two penalties for abusing its dominant position in the Android operating system market.

Google did not immediately respond to requests for comment made after working hours in India and with the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States.

WinZO, which offers real-money games, first approached the Competition Commission of India (CCI) in 2022, after a change in the US company’s gaming app policy continued to exclude WinZO from Google’s Play Store, even as it accepted some of its competitors.

The updated Google policy allowed real-money games for fantasy sports and rummy, but WinZO was rejected as it also offered games in other categories that Google does not accept, such as the Indian game of carrom, puzzles and car racing.

“By granting preferential treatment to select app categories, Google effectively creates a two-tier market where some developers are accorded superior access and visibility while others are discriminated against and thus, left with a competitive disadvantage,” a copy of the CCI order stated.

A CCI official is expected to complete its investigation into the matter within 60 days.

© Thomson Reuters 2024

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Google Play Store is reportedly getting a new artificial intelligence (AI) feature that will make it easier for users to both find new apps and learn more about them. The feature is reportedly under development and multiple strings of code about it were found in the latest version of the marketplace. The deployment of the feature is currently not known, however, the code highlights that it could be available in the form of a chatbot. This will be the third AI feature for the marketplace after the AI frequently asked questions (FAQs) and AI review summaries.

Google Play Store to Reportedly Get a New AI Feature

According to an Android Authority report, Google is working on adding an AI feature that can answer various user queries. The feature was spotted in the Google Play Store version 43.3.32-31. The app build features several strings of code highlighting the feature which could be named “Ask a question”.

So far, the Play Store has one AI feature dubbed the AI-generated FAQs. The feature automatically adds FAQs about apps on the app listings page and users can read them to learn basic details about apps. However, it is not an interactive feature and users cannot learn about specific functionalities even if they wanted to.

It appears Google is fixing this problem with the “Ask a question” feature. As per the report, the publication spotted three strings of code. The first says “Created by AI”, which highlights that the under-development feature will be AI-powered. The second string reportedly states, “Ask a question about this app”, while the third says, “Ask a question”.

Based on this information, it is likely a chatbot-style feature. The publication claims it could be available to users on both the app listings page as well as the app results page. Users can reportedly use it to ask any query they have about a certain app. Further, it is said that the tool will also help users in app discovery and let them find desired apps easily.

However, these are mere speculations and nothing can be said about the feature conclusively. For that, we will have to wait till Google officially makes an announcement about it.

Google is working on an updated Play Store layout that could make it easier for users to install some apps on their smartphones, according to a report. Currently, users must scroll back to the top of an app’s listing on the Play Store in order to install it. However, code spotted on a recent version of the Google Play store reveals that the company could rework the design of headers for app listings, keeping the app install button within reach while viewing apps with long descriptions.

Google Play Store Working on Fixed Header and Install Button

Android Authority spotted code on the Play Store v43.1.19 that indicates Google will stop the header from disappearing when scrolling through an app’s description — this is how the Google Play store currently works. As a result, the app’s name and the Install button will remain visible at the top of the screen while viewing the description.

The fixed header shows the Install button at all times
Photo Credit: Android Authority/ AssembleDebug

 

The feature is still in development, but the publication says that it was able to activate the feature to test the functionality. Once enabled, the new header shows the name of the app on the top left corner of the screen, while the Install button is shown on the right, along with a drop-down menu to install the same app on other compatible devices.

This redesigned header for app listings on the Google Play store could benefit developers who provide detailed descriptions, and scrolling through these currently pushes the download button out of sight. Developers and users could both benefit from the always-visible header and install button.

An Update button will replace the Install button for applications that have already been installed by a user, according to the report, allowing users to quickly reach the button after reading through the changelog for an app that has a pending update.

As is the case with all unreleased software, these changes are still in development and are yet to be rolled out — even to beta testers. Google could release the feature, or decide to make more changes to the design before it is made available to testers.