Shortly after we posted on the release of the Xbox Companion app for Windows Phone (and had to be away from the keyboard for a time), Microsoft announced a, umm, companion app to Xbox Companion, this one running on iPhone and iPad.
The iOS app doesn’t do nearly as much as the Windows Phone version, but it does bring a bit of Xbox right onto your iPhone or iPad. From the Major Nelson blog post announcing the app:
This free app will allow you to stay connected to the Xbox LIVE community when you are away from your console. Some of the features include:
- Read and send messages to friends
- Manage your friends list, invite new friends
- Read and Edit your full LIVE profile (name, bio, motto)
- Change your avatar features/items with the avatar closet
- View and compare your achievement progress with friends
A couple of commenters on our blog post (which asked whether Xbox, and its new Metro style dashboard, could give Windows Phone sales a boost) took the iOS app as a sign that our contention that Xbox might drive Windows Phone sales was wrong, but as the Verge.com pointed out, although the iOS version doesn’t do as much as the Windows Phone version, it “puts a little Windows Phone on your iPhone”, and that was our point with the Xbox dashboard. Introducing more people to Metro via Xbox, whether it’s through an iOS app or the Xbox dashboard, can’t be a bad thing for Windows Phone.
