Xbox 360 SmartGlass for Android

Summary of the app's purpose

Xbox SmartGlass turns your Android phone or tablet into a companion device for the Xbox, designed to enhance how you interact with games, videos, and music. Instead of just using a gamepad, SmartGlass provides extra controls and contextual information that sit alongside whatever you're watching or playing on the console.

Navigation and typing made easier

One of the most practical uses is replacing awkward on-screen navigation with a full-screen touchpad on your mobile device. The touch area supports swipes and gestures, includes four shortcut areas mapped to common Xbox functions, and lets you type using your device’s keyboard so entering text is faster and simpler than with the controller.

Supplemental media details

When you play media purchased or downloaded through Microsoft’s services, the app can display related content — cast lists, plot summaries, images, and other background info — to enrich the viewing/listening experience. Note: this additional metadata currently works mainly with Microsoft’s own apps; many third-party services (for example, Netflix and Last.fm) do not surface extra details through SmartGlass.

Compatibility and limitations

• If you own the newer Xbox One, use the separate Xbox One SmartGlass application built for that console generation.
• SmartGlass replicates some social features found elsewhere in the Xbox ecosystem; Microsoft may consolidate these into SmartGlass over time.
• While the app is excellent as a touchpad and keyboard substitute, its usefulness is reduced by limited support from third-party applications.

Quick feature overview

• Support for contextual media information (cast, synopsis, images) when available
• Full-screen touchpad with gesture support and four shortcut regions
• Text input using your phone or tablet keyboard for faster typing
• Remote-control replacement to navigate the console UI more comfortably

Overall, SmartGlass is a convenient way to control and augment your Xbox experience from an Android device, but its impact depends on how many apps and services integrate with it.