Update (Tue 9th Mar, 2021 22:00 GMT): Microsoft has confirmed today that Achievements will be the first of these "missing features" to be added back into the Xbox mobile app, starting with a limited set of players:
"Achievements are returning! We heard the fan feedback that our community wants achievements brought into in the Xbox app on mobile. This month we’re testing various achievement experiences in the app, starting with a limited set of players and then rolling out to everyone.
This first update will include a list of achievements in the app, an achievements details screen, and achievement unlocked notifications. We’ll also be releasing an additional update with popular features like leaderboards in the coming months."
Original story (Sat 13th Feb, 2021 13:30 GMT): There's been one major problem with the new Xbox mobile app ever since it was released late last year, which has been the removal of some key features such as achievements, an Activity Feed and a proper storefront.
Fans have made their voices heard about these missing features, and now Xbox director of project management Jason Ronald has confirmed the likes of achievements will return in "the coming months":
"One of the pieces of feedback that we've very clearly seen is people are missing features like achievements as an example in the Xbox app. So over the coming months, we're going to be updating the Xbox mobile app to add things like achievements."
Ronald made these comments as part of Major Nelson's latest podcast, where he confirmed that the Xbox mobile app, along with Game DVR and Quick Resume improvements, are "really high priorities" for the team at present.
Ultimately, the new Xbox mobile app contains some really cool new features such as Remote Play that we're really enjoying, but the inclusion of achievements and some other key additions will definitely make it a whole lot better.
Happy to see the return of achievements and other 'missing features' to the Xbox app? Let us know below.
Comments 16
That's great news. I really miss achievments on the Xbox App. It was the feature I used the most to keep track of what I needed to do without need to pause the game with the overlay. I've been using trueachievments for this since they removed. Glad that it is coming back.
I miss the store..
Hopefully they add a storefront, that's that main thing lacking for me. Achievements not as important, but would be nice too.
Store please xthanx bye
They should never have been taken out, nor should the store. Who updates an app by taking out major features? There seems to be a lot of this "we're listening to feedback" after what were very obviously poor decisions that should never have been made
@CrazyJF these are all issues of their own creation though, using a phone to setup a console isn't necessary and there is no reason it should have to connect online to do so either. For me there is no excuse for the new app to not have all the features of the old one upon launch and is simply poor planning
About time. I use to use the old app on a daily basis. I only boot up this new one to share some captures over whatsapp
I doubt we’ll be seeing the store front returning, at least on iOS. Apple will have an issue with the storefront now that you can remote play your purchase in the app.
Great news that they are bringing achievements back! I really hope they bring back showing how many hours that you have logged into a game. That was one of my favorite features on the old app.
Things like achievements... and the entire news feed please! I loved seeing what my closest friends got in their latest gaming sessions.
Did the 'Redeem code' feature also disappear or have I just not been able to find it?
@Zochmenos yeah exactly. Never understood why two seperate apps were needed for this.
Also: Storefront.
That's good news. I really hope the newsfeed from friends' achievements comes back, I kept opening the app just to see which achievements my brother and friends got.
@CrazyJF There's more to the removal of the store than pushing out an early beta of an app. The store stopped working on the old app sometime last June or early July. The purchasing buttons were removed or just stopped working, along with the "you own this" tags. They totally broke the app's connection with the store on the server-site before they updated the app.
@berrrnard Sony figured out a way to make it work, so there's no reason MS can't.
I could be wrong but Sony's method might involve using some internal browser to launch the pieces of the store separately, since I know you can run the main launcher, but going into the store then requires logging in separately. But it always has, so it wasn't updated for new Apple policies or anything.
Not that Sony's new store/app doesn't suck for its own reasons. In the 21st century, "progress" means making everything worse.
Honestly was half assed by Microsoft to release a "new" app missing 50% of the features of the old app. Glad to see they are starting to being things back but the store is the main feature missing. Unbelievable they would take away a method to collect money from people...
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