Month: May 2019

Following the release of Xbox One update 1905 last week, Microsoft is updating its Xbox apps for iOS and Android today. Updates follow the latest Xbox Live messaging enhancements now available on Xbox One on Windows 10. First, new mobile apps now have the same “Message Requests” feature that places Xbox Live messages from strangers. in a separate section.

The messaging experience has also been updated with a new user interface, improved group messaging functionality, and faster performance. However, the Contacts section still won’t show if your online friends are on Xbox, PC, or mobile, which is now visible on Xbox One and the new Xbox Game Bar on Windows 10.

Here are the full release notes for iOS and Android:

This update kicks off a series of improvements we’re making to messaging in the Xbox Mobile app!

In this update, we’ve added:
-New, faster and more efficient messaging user interface
-Improved group messaging functionality
-Improved spam control in your inbox with the addition of “Message requests”

We’ve also made lots of bug fixes and stability improvements based on your feedback. Please continue to send us feedback as we roll out these new changes over the next few months!

Xbox mobile apps may soon play a bigger role as Microsoft prepares to launch public trials for its Project xCloud game streaming service. Microsoft has never brought Xbox One game streaming to mobile devices (which the Windows 10 Xbox app supports), but we expect Project xCloud to take advantage of existing Xbox mobile apps or have its own. dedicated applications on iOS and Android. We hope to hear more about Microsoft’s plans at the company’s E3 press conference on June 9.

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Following the release of Xbox One update 1905 last week, Microsoft has started notifying users of the Windows 10 Xbox app that the Xbox Live Messaging experience will soon be revamped. According to the message shared by Windows Central, the Xbox app will get the same message request functionality that Microsoft is bringing to Xbox One consoles and the new Xbox Game Bar on Windows 10, as well as support for GIFs.

However, Microsoft is also warning users that the Windows 10 Xbox app will also lose its group messaging functionality, adding that “a desktop solution for group messaging will be available soon” (group messaging is already supported. in the new Xbox Game Bar). These changes to the Xbox app are apparently coming tomorrow, May 23, and you can read the full post below:

We will be upgrading our messaging services to introduce improved chat features (secondary inbox for non-friends, GIFs, etc.). Unfortunately, your old group messages will be lost during the upgrade, so copy any old chats you want to keep on Xbox.com.

After the transition, we will be removing group messaging from this app to focus on console settings and simplify our apps. But rest assured that a desktop solution for group messaging is coming soon, so be sure to update Windows to get the latest Xbox apps and experiences when they become available.

In the meantime, please use the Xbox app on iOS / Android to enjoy an improved group messaging experience. Upgraded Group Messages will be available on your Xbox console on May 23.

Thank you for your understanding. We continue to rely on you and your feedback to help us build the best Xbox apps, so let us know how we’re doing during the transition!

The part where Microsoft says it “will focus on console settings and simplify our applications” is quite interesting. The new Xbox Game Bar, which features dedicated widgets for Xbox Live messages and the social group finder feature, is already much faster than the Xbox UWP app, which has grown quite bloated over the years. Maybe it’s time for Microsoft to cut it down a bit and refocus it on some of its flagship features, such as streaming Xbox games to Windows 10 PCs.

Microsoft is expected to launch public trials for its Project xCloud game streaming service later this year, and we wonder if the Xbox app could also be used to manage xCloud streaming on Windows 10 PCs. It would make sense that the Xbox app can finally be used to play real Xbox games, even if they are streamed from the cloud. Otherwise, Microsoft may well launch a separate xCloud UWP app that would do the heavy lifting, similar to what the company has done with its Windows Mixed Reality portal for VR headsets.

It’s just speculation right now, but with the Xbox Game Bar getting really good at all things Xbox Live social features, maybe it’s time for the Windows 10 Xbox app to play a bigger role. “I know we’ve talked quite a bit over time about what we want to deliver to the PC gamer, but at E3 this year, and throughout 2019, you’ll start to see where we’ve invested to deliver to. across the store, services, in Windows and in big games. This is just the start, “Xbox director Phil Spencer said in February in an interview with PC Gamer. We hope to hear more at the conference release from Microsoft on E3 on June 9.

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While browsing the Xbox app on Windows 10, I received a pop-up message detailing the future of Xbox messaging and ultimately the fate of the Windows 10 Xbox app.

Microsoft appears to be preparing to phase out the slow Xbox Windows 10 app, which hasn’t received any significant updates for a very long time. The all-new Windows 10 Game Bar already packs the most critical features of the Xbox app on desktops, into a much faster, more engaging and, frankly, better in almost every way.

So it’s no surprise that Microsoft is announcing that after May 23, the Xbox app on Windows 10 PCs will no longer support group messaging systems as Microsoft moves its Xbox messaging mechanisms to a new platform. -improved shape, which will also include support for GIF “and more.”

We will be upgrading our messaging services to introduce improved chat features (secondary inbox for non-friends, GIFs, etc.). Unfortunately, your old group messages will be lost during the upgrade, so copy any old chats you want to keep on Xbox.com.

After the transition, we will be removing group messaging from this app to focus on console settings and simplify our apps. But rest assured that a desktop solution for group messaging is coming soon, so be sure to update Windows to get the latest Xbox apps and experiences when they become available.

In the meantime, please use the Xbox app on iOS / Android to enjoy an improved group messaging experience. Upgraded Group Messages will be available on your Xbox console on May 23.

Thank you for your understanding. We continue to rely on you and your feedback to help us build the best Xbox apps, so let us know how we’re doing during the transition!

Microsoft notes that the upgraded experiences will arrive on Android and iOS apps. Given the pace of updates on the Windows 10 Game Bar beta, new features shouldn’t be left out either.

The Xbox app on Windows 10, no matter how slow, served as a pretty decent bridge between the desktop and the Xbox for a few years, allowing you to access your Xbox cloud clips, manage your activity feed, and even stream your Xbox games to a PC over a local WiFi network.

The new Windows 10 game bar.

While Microsoft isn’t categorically saying that the Windows 10 Xbox app is being phased out, the fact that it doesn’t get the new chat features likely paints the handwriting on the wall. The new Windows 10 Game Bar, accessible via Windows Key + G, appears to be where Microsoft will be putting its Xbox efforts on the desktop going forward. And that’s a good thing, as long as it gets functionality to match, that is.

You can test the new Windows 10 Game Bar by joining the Gaming Flight Ring through the Xbox Insider app on your PC, click the link below to find out how.

How to join the Windows 10 game trial flight ring