Xbox Remote Play Coming To iOS Too

Microsoft is bringing its Xbox Remote Play functionality to iOS devices. Though the functionality was recently opened up for Android users, it's reportedly in testing on Apple devices as well, and the company expects it to come to the App Store soon.

• Xbox Series X hands-on preview
• Xbox Series X load time comparison

The Verge reports that a hands-on with the app showed it was already working well in beta. Like the Android Xbox app or Sony's Remote Play app, it connects with your console and runs anything you have loaded onto your console--just using your iPhone or iPad as the screen. The function will also work with the upcoming Xbox Series X or Series S.

This is distinct from the Xbox streaming xCloud platform, which requires no console at all because it streams games directly to your mobile device from a data center. That functionality is on Android devices already, but not iOS ones due to Apple's restrictive policies. A recent rule change made it theoretically possible for xCloud and Google's similar streaming service Stadia on Apple devices, but it's not clear how it would work and Microsoft called it a "bad experience for customers." Xbox streaming is available with a subscription to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, and its library is very similar to the Game Pass library.

Still, the Remote Play functionality provides some form of mobile play for use cases like toilet gaming. And the Xbox app update is part of an overall suite of quality-of-life improvements, which also includes the ability to download a game to your console before you purchase it--saving you the time to download updates.