Xbox iPhone And iPad App Updates Let You Play Remotely

Microsoft has issued an update to its Xbox apps on iPhone and iPad, which enables remote play to stream games from a local Xbox One console to your mobile device. The feature supports Xbox One and will support Xbox Series X and Series S games, but doesn't work with backward compatibility for Xbox 360 or original Xbox.

This is similar to PS4 remote play on iOS, which was added via the PS4 Remote Play app last year. That's a separate app entirely, while the Xbox remote play functionality is folded directly into the main Xbox app.

This is distinct from Microsoft's xCloud streaming service, which is now offered as part of Xbox Game Pass. That feature streams games directly to your device from cloud servers. Microsoft has had some trouble getting that functionality on iOS due to Apple's policies, but the company is reportedly planning to bring the functionality through a browser app. That's also the method being used by its competitor game streaming service, Amazon Luna.

Aside from letting you play your Xbox games on the toilet, the Xbox app also allows you to access your Xbox remotely over an LTE or 5G connection.

Xbox Series X and Series S are coming in just a few weeks, on November 10. You can read our hands-on Xbox Series X preview for more details about the new hardware, and keep an eye on our Xbox Series X and Series S preorder guide to catch one when they become available again.