With the official debut of the PS5 just around the corner, Sony is pulling out all the stops to offer buyers the best launch experience possible. That includes rolling out an updated version of the PlayStation App, which has been "reimagined" for use with both the PS4 and PS5.
The app’s global rollout will begin by way of iOS updates on devices running iOS 12.2 or later and Android 6.0 or later.
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The revamped app introduces a selection of new features, like voice chat, native PS Store integration, and improvements to the user interface meant to offer a more expedient and quality browsing experience. PS5 users will interact with their new consoles through the PlayStation App, even when they're away, so the app updates focus on making more of the social experience and remote aspect of controlling each console.
The updated user interface offers quicker access to the PlayStation home screen to see what others are playing along with updates on your own Trophies. This should make it easier to decide what to play based on your current game progress or what others are doing.
If you're feeling social, you can create party groups straight from within the PlayStation App, as well as voice chat with up to 15 friends from your phone. If text chat is more your thing, that's covered, too. The PS Messages app feature has also been folded into the main PlayStation App instead of existing outside as a standalone program. Thus, existing messages or contact information will simply be stored in the main PlayStation App from now on.
Controlling and managing your PlayStation downloads is an important app function as well. The new PS Store will let you browse and shop much more quickly than you could with the previous console iteration. You can remotely download games and DLC to your PS4 or PS5 so when you're ready to come back for a play session, everything is good to go. When the PS5 is available, the app will also let you remotely launch games, sign into your PS5 from the app, and allow you to manage storage remotely as well.
The PlayStation app will also feature official PlayStation-centric news found in the Explore tab. You can check out any announcements via the PS Blog and information straight from the developers themselves here to learn a bit more about what's going on in the industry.
The PS App is available right now via the App Store and Google Play, though the latest updates won't be out for some time. If you want to get the most out of the app, you'll first need to sign up for a PlayStation Network account. With only a few weeks left until the Nov. 12 launch, it might be a good day to go ahead and download the app now and see what features are available before the PS5 arrives.
