Xbox SmartGlass arrives on Android: How to control your console for free with your phone!

The Gadget Show  Monday 29 October 2012

Xbox SmartGlass, Microsoft’s clever second screen app for controlling your Xbox 360 with your computer, phone or tablet, has arrived on Android much sooner than we expected. Yup, that’s right: Google may be MIcrosoft’s arch-rival right now, but if you’ve got an Android powered phone you can use it to boss your console about right now. Read on for all the details!

Head on over to the Google Play store and you’ll see Xbox SmartGlass for Android available as a free download (No word yet on the iPhone equivalent, but we doubt it’s far off). It works in much the same way as it does on Windows 8 and Windows 8 tablets: you can launch any of your apps and control them – including Internet Explorer – so long as you’re connected to the same network as the Xbox. You can also see second screen information about videos on supported apps, like actors on screen and more.

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We’ve loaded up Xbox SmartGlass on Android and we’re pleased to say that it does indeed work like advertised. You’ll need to be logged in to the same account as the one you’re logged into on Xbox Live for it to work, but it’s a smooth operator: typing in websites on your phone and pinching into to zoom in on the TV is incredibly easy.

Want to get Xbox SmartGlass yourself? You can download it now, though it will only work on Android phones running Android 4.0 with a screen resolution of 800×480 or higher. Let us know how you get on with it in the comments below!

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