Microsoft's Xbox Video service remains absent in Update 3 for Windows Phone 8, despite previous statements indicating the service may be included. As with previous versions of the operating system, users can transfer videos to their Windows Phone devices, though no movies or television shows can be purchased, downloaded or streamed from Xbox Video.
In August, Microsoft updated a Zune Marketplace information page with the following sentence about Xbox Video's platform support: "Starting later this year you will be able to access Xbox Video on Xbox One, Windows Phone 8, and any web browser." Windows Phone Central first reported the disclaimer and noted that the next significant update to Windows Phone 8 would be GDR3 – now known as Update 3.
Update 3 doesn't include support to download, stream or purchase Xbox Video media, however, and Microsoft has even updated the aforementioned page to now state the following: "You can rent or purchase movies and TV shows through Xbox Video on Xbox 360 and Windows 8 PCs and tablets. Starting later this year you will also be able to access Xbox Video on Xbox One."
When asked about the lack of Xbox Video in Update 3, a Microsoft spokeswoman provided Neowin with the following comment:
Xbox Video is not in GDR3, but there is a ton of new stuff in Windows Phone 8 Update 3, and while most of the work we did is under the hood, we were also able to add some of the most-requested features and make improvements across the board. I know there are still some things, like Xbox Video, that folks have asked for and are not in this release, but we hear users and take their feedback into account as we prioritize new work.
Microsoft's Xbox Video app for Windows 8.1 recently received an overhaul to feature an interface similar to the dashboard on the upcoming Xbox One console, as did the Xbox Music app. Windows Phone devices support Xbox Music's store, though Xbox Video has never been available on the platform, despite being a highly requested feature. Xbox Video's predecessor, the Zune Marketplace, supported video downloads through its store on Windows Phone 7 devices, however. Videos purchased through Xbox Video on other platforms cannot be transferred to a Windows Phone device because of DRM.
Initially, Microsoft's Xbox Video website stated that videos purchased from the service could be played on Windows Phone devices; that was incorrect, however, and the company removed the phrasing from its website. Microsoft still shows an image featuring a Windows Phone device playing a video from the service alongside a Windows 8 tablet and Xbox 360 console despite the text removal.
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