The Xbox app on Windows is becoming even more compatible with portable devices

Microsoft introduced a compact mode for its Xbox app on Windows last year, designed to improve the handheld experience. While Compact Mode initially focused on UI improvements for small screens, Microsoft is moving forward to address some of the challenges of navigating the Xbox app with a D-pad and sticks.

On a new update For Xbox Insiders today, Microsoft is adding a new “Jump back in” feature that lets you quickly launch games you’ve recently played on a Windows portable computer. Back will list up to nine games on the main Xbox app screen, and you can press the menu button on a controller to launch the game directly.

It’s smart enough to know if you already have a game running, so it will simply switch to that instance and, by default, navigate to the game hub so you can see which friends are playing, their achievements, and more.

Microsoft is also improving the Friends panel to make it easier to access with a handheld or controller. There’s now quick sidebar access to a swipeable friends list that has large buttons to tap to join group chats.

While it’s good to see this addition, I still find it difficult to navigate the Xbox app on a ROG Ally without touching the screen. Accessing the sidebar can often be difficult if you have navigated down a page, and the Xbox app seems to hang in certain sections and prevent you from accessing the sidebar by navigating to the left unless you are at the top of the page or you’ve highlighted a specific element.

Microsoft still has a long way to go to improve the overall handheld experience on Windows, but if you’re a PC Game Pass subscriber and have a Windows handheld, then you’re getting some early improvements before the Windows team really gets around to it. focus on controller navigation across the operating system.