Xbox is making some big changes to its mobile apps this week, and that means the Xbox Game Pass app is going to be shuttered. Microsoft revealed today that all of the app’s features are being added to the current Xbox app instead. The streamlined approach means users will now have one less app on their phone, and will still be able to do everything that they did from the current app. As of this writing, the Game Pass app remains available for download, but will be removed in November. Microsoft says that the app’s features will soon start to appear in the regular Xbox app for Xbox beta members, before releasing to everyone else.
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“Key features – like the ability to explore Game Pass and manage your membership – will now be found in one place with the Xbox app on mobile. You’ll be able to browse the full Game Pass catalog to find your favorite games and stay in the loop with alerts for new games coming to the service. If you’re a Game Pass Ultimate member, you’ll also be able to view and claim your Perks.”
Honestly, the Xbox Game Pass app was always pretty redundant, so this is kind of overdue. There’s no reason that these features shouldn’t have just been in the standard Xbox app in the first place. The problem has always been the fact that you can’t actually play Game Pass games on the app; if you want to do so, you have to use a workaround to put a supported browser on your phone screen. If you do use Cloud Streaming on your phone’s home screen, you basically have three different Xbox apps. Narrowing it down to two was long overdue, and this should be good news for anyone that was running low on phone space.
Not only does this move get rid of what was already a redundant app, but it adds a little more functionality to the current Xbox app. Having (almost) everything in one place should be a lot more convenient, provided the developers make everything smooth and easy to navigate. Hopefully that will be the case, but we won’t know for sure until the changes start to go into effect.
Are you happy to see the Game Pass app shuttered? Do you think this change is overdue? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp, on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!
