Starting in November, US Xbox users will be able to purchase and play games directly on the Xbox app on their Android devices The change is due to a legal battle that Epic Games is waging against Google and Apple

Google has been on the back foot in the legal battle since losing an exclusivity lawsuit against Epic in December 2023 The court defeat paved the way for developers to open their own app stores on the Android OS

Earlier this week, a US judge issued a permanent injunction forcing Google to open up its app store to allow alternative ways to download apps Google has already said it plans to appeal the ruling

“The Epic verdict misses the obvious: Apple and Android are clearly in competition,” Google spokesperson Lee Ann Mulholland wrote in a blog post

“We will appeal and ask the court to suspend the implementation of remedies to maintain a consistent and secure experience for users and developers as the legal process proceeds”

Meanwhile, Microsoft opened the door for gamers to purchase Xbox games on their Android devices They will then be able to stream games through the Xbox Cloud Gaming platform

“Our mission is to enable more players to play on more devices, so we're happy to share that starting in November, players will be able to play and purchase Xbox games directly from the Xbox app on Android

Microsoft has been working on the Xbox Moibile store and confirmed plans in May, it was supposed to launch in July That time has passed and the mobile store remains “coming soon”; the mobile store website, which appeared in June, says the company is still working on it

“Your support is invaluable to us Stay connected with Xbox for more updates”

It is unclear whether Bond is referring to the mobile game store in her post or just the main Xbox app But clearly, the recent Google ruling could hasten the schedule for Xbox to release something that will allow players to purchase games on their Android devices

Google has spent most of 2024 grappling with major lawsuits that have cut into its various businesses and accusations of monopolistic behavior That same week, it was reported that the Justice Department is strongly considering asking a federal judge to dissolve the company That would mean that Google's parent company, Alphabet, would have to sell some of its businesses, including Chrome and Android