Xbox (software)

The Xbox app (originally known as Xbox 360 SmartGlass and Xbox One Smartglass) is a dashboard for Xbox Live accounts. On launch, it was positioned as a companion app for Xbox video game consoles, including Xbox 360 and Xbox One video game consoles, providing access to Xbox Live community functions, remote control, as well as second screen functionality with selected games, applications, and content. The Xbox app is available for Microsoft Windows, Android, and iOS.

Features
The Xbox app features achievements, recommended games, games that friends are playing, party planning, and instant messaging. When a user launches it for the first time, the app will offer to create an Xbox Live account for a local user or automatically create an avatar and username for a user with a Microsoft Account. The Xbox app allows users to change the username, choose whether to show or hide the user's real name, create a bio, and change the user's accent color and avatar It can be used as a launchpad for games on a PC.

The Xbox app's contact management integrates with People. If a Facebook account is connected, the user will see Facebook friends listed in the friends suggestion list. If a Twitter account is connected, the user will automatically tweet Xbox game achievements.

The app automatically displays games installed through the Windows Store and users can manually add games (or any other apps) installed outside the Windows Store, such as Microsoft Garden Pond. The app can search for both Windows 10 or Xbox One games. Despite the name, any app can be recorded. Although Game DVR does not include a keylogger, Microsoft considers it a replacement for the discontinued Steps Recorder. The Xbox app also features audio/video quality settings and whether to automatically record game clips that can be saved later.

The Windows 10 version of the Xbox app features a video screen capture utility on supported devices called Game DVR; on devices without video capture support, Game DVR only takes screenshots. The Game DVR can be opened by hitting the Win + G screenshot combination; other Game Bar settings can be customized in the app. The Trending feature shows trends from Beam and Xbox Live.

History
Xbox SmartGlass was originally announced during the 2012 Electronic Entertainment Expo. The announcement was accompanied with demonstrations on how the application would work. These demonstrations included Madden NFL 13, Halo 4, and Internet Explorer.

The Windows 10 family of operating systems introduced a revamped version of SmartGlass referred to simply as Xbox. It features a new, multi-column interface with an Activity Feed display, and allows users to control and play games from an Xbox One console over a local network, the ability to view and edit Game DVR recordings from an Xbox One console. The PC version of the Xbox App also supports Game DVR on supported hardware, and has a library display for games installed on the PC, such as those obtained via Steam and Windows Store.

On June 13, 2016, the Android and iOS versions of Xbox One SmartGlass were updated and re-branded as Xbox, coinciding with an updated user interface that is similar to the Windows 10 version. Xbox 360 SmartGlass was not updated.

Related apps
The Xbox app encourages users to download related apps from the Windows Store.
 * The Xbox (beta) app is a version of the Xbox app that receives updates sooner, whether or not the device is running a Windows Insider Program build, and can be installed and uninstalled, unlike the stable version.
 * The Xbox Avatars app allows the user to customize the avatar's physique and clothes.
 * The Xbox Accessories app allows the user to change the setup of an Xbox One console.

Compatibility
Windows 8, Windows 10, Android, iOS