If you are a gamer, getting your iPhone set up to help you engage with your Xbox One will enhance your gaming pleasure by allowing you to navigate the user interface, launch apps and games. You can also access social features such as achievements, friends, and messages from your iPhone or other iOS device. To get started you will need the Xbox One SmartGlass app which is free to download and use.
When you download the Xbox One SmartGlass app you will need to sign into your Microsoft account. After you have signed in, you will see “Now Playing, Recent, Featured and My Pins”, and are pretty self explanatory as to what each one of these mean. For example, “My Pins” are the movies, TV shows and games that you pinned to the Xbox One’s home screen. When you see these options, you can connect your iPhone to your Xbox by clicking the “Connect” button in the SmartGlass app. If your iPhone and Xbox aren’t connected on the same network, you might have to enter the IP address. To find this, go to the Xbox console’s Settings, Network and then choose Advanced Settings. The IP address will be listed there.
To access the social features for your Xbox One from your iPhone you will want to go into the Options menu from the SmartGlass app. To get to that menu, just swipe from left to right or tap the button that has three horizontal lines. You can find that button on the top left hand side of your screen. From this point you will see your Xbox live profile, friends list, achievements, pins, messages, and app settings and can interact how you choose.
When you select games and programs to access on your Xbox One from your iPhone’s SmartGlass app, you will be able to use your iPhone as a controller including the A, B, X and Y buttons. The app will also display additional information about the game or program you’ve opened and allow you to access additional features specific to the game or program you are using. To keep your iPhone from dimming or turning off while you are using it for a controller or game assistant, just go into the app settings and tap on the “Stay Awake” box.