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Microsoft is delaying plans to let US Android users buy and play games directly via the Xbox app, blaming a recent court ruling involving the Google Play Store.
The delay is connected to a “temporary administrative stay recently granted by the courts,” Xbox president Sarah Bond explains. A US judge has ordered Google to open up access to third-party stores and billing, but on October 18th the judge granted a stay on those measures pending the outcome of an appeal. Microsoft could technically pursue its plans under the existing Google system, but it would have to share a sizable cut of revenues.
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. 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…
— BondSarahBond (@BondSarah_Bond) November 27, 2024
Bond notes that Microsoft’s planned version of direct purchases is ready to launch and is simply waiting on the court to reach a final decision. That could be in the distant future — US court appeals can easily take months or years, and Google has enough resources and interests at stake to pursue the case all the way to the Supreme Court.
Google prefers to funnel Android app purchases through the Google Play Store, including in-app downloads and subscriptions. It claims a cut of all those transactions, so it would potentially lose out on millions or billions of dollars by making it possible to use outside billing without going to a website.
The company has also argued that the Play Store provides a “safe and secure experience,” even suggesting that Microsoft and Fortnite maker Epic Games are ignoring security concerns. In theory, third-party app stores could include weaker security measures, but malicious apps have occasionally slipped through the Play Store as well.
If direct purchases via the Xbox app are enabled, few if any games will be downloaded directly to an Android phone or tablet. Instead they’ll be playable on a console like the Xbox Series X, or online through Xbox Cloud Gaming. The second option requires an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription.
