11. Looking Through the SmartGlass
In this chapter, you learn about SmartGlass, a powerful app that turns your mobile device into a second screen that intelligently interacts with your Xbox One.
→ Downloading and Installing the SmartGlass App
Xbox One SmartGlass turns your Windows, Google Android, or Apple iOS mobile device into a powerful second screen and controller for your console. Take control of your media and snapped apps, get game help, and more. When you’re on the go, check out your achievements and messages, search for content, and pin your favorites, which will be waiting for you on your Xbox One when you sign in. In this chapter, you learn how to tap the potential of this impressive interactive experience.
Coming Soon
An update coming in the latter part of 2014, perhaps by the time you read this, will give SmartGlass even more control over your Xbox One, television, and cable or satellite receiver box. This update includes an enhanced virtual remote control, setting new recordings and watching recorded content from your DVR, and showing your most recently watched channels.
Downloading and Installing the SmartGlass App
Like the original Xbox SmartGlass app for the Xbox 360, the Xbox One Smart-Glass app works on a wide variety of devices. For Windows devices, it runs on Windows 8 and Windows RT or greater tablets and PCs, as well as Windows Phone 8 or greater, and is available from the respective Windows Store. For Google Android devices, it runs on most smartphones and tablets that run Android 4.x or greater and that have access to the Google Play store. For Apple iOS 6.x or greater devices, it runs on iPod touch 4th generation or greater, iPhone 3GS or greater, iPad 2 or greater, and all versions of the iPad mini, and is available from the App Store on iTunes.
The two sections that follow provide examples for procuring the app on Windows 8 and iOS devices, respectively. The procedures are similar for other platforms.
Download and Install on a Windows 8 Device
To download and install the Xbox One SmartGlass app on your Windows 8 device, do the following:
1. Select the Store icon from the Windows 8 Start screen.
Searching for Store
From the Start screen, you can also just type the word “store” and, when it appears in search results, select the Store app.
2. Type “xbox one smartglass” in the Search field and press Enter or tap on the Search icon.
3. Tap on the Xbox One SmartGlass icon.
4. Tap on Install to download the app.
5. Once installed, the Xbox One SmartGlass app is available in your list of Apps and can be accessed like other apps by tapping on its icon.
Download and Install on an iOS Device
To download and install the Xbox One SmartGlass app on your iOS device, do the following:
1. Tap on the App Store icon.
2. Type “xbox one smartglass” in the Search field.
3. Tap on “xbox one smartglass” under Results.
4. Tap on the install icon to download the app.
5. Once installed, tap Open. In the future, you can start the app like other apps by tapping on its icon on your Apps screen.
Using the SmartGlass App
There are a variety of ways to put SmartGlass to work. You can use it as a Remote Control to tell your Xbox One what to do. This isn’t particularly useful for games, but it’s great when paired with the Internet Explorer web browser and for entering passwords, sending messages, and so on.
As a second screen, SmartGlass exposes even more potential. Using this feature, game developers can enable you to interact with content in even more ways than limiting you to what’s happening on the TV. Think of an RPG that lets you manage inventory on your tablet without cluttering up your TV, or a sports game that lets you see stats or lineups without having to pause and open a menu.
Before a SmartGlass app can work with your Xbox One, however, you need to make sure that your console is set to allow a connection.
1. From the Home screen, press the Menu button on your controller and select Settings.
2. Select Preferences.
3. Under SmartGlass Connections, select either From any SmartGlass Device or Only from Profiles Signed in on This Xbox, depending upon your preference.
Disabling SmartGlass
If Don’t Allow SmartGlass Connections is selected, the SmartGlass app can’t connect to your Xbox. Refer to “Changing the Console Settings” in Chapter 2, “Navigating Your Xbox One’s Dashboard and Settings,” for more information.
Connect SmartGlass to Your Console
To connect SmartGlass to your console, turn on your Xbox One, open the Smart-Glass app using your platform of choice, and follow these steps:
1. Select Connect to Xbox One. If your console is powered on and connected to your home network, you should see it appear in SmartGlass.
How SmartGlass Looks
Save for differences in screen orientation, Xbox One SmartGlass functionality is fairly consistent across the various devices the app is available on. As such, we selected the Apple iPad version of the app to demonstrate the representative example used here.
2. Select your console to connect SmartGlass to it. Once you select an Xbox One console, you have the option of establishing a connection automatically the next time you run the app.
3. Select Connect to establish a connection and display the Home screen.
Connecting Automatically
Note that, when connecting, there is a Connect Automatically checkbox. If you don’t want SmartGlass to automatically connect to your Xbox as soon as you launch the app, you should de-select this checkbox.
Find Your Xbox One’s IP Address
If your console is on the same network as your device and the connection type you’re attempting is allowed, and you still don’t see the console listed, you can enter its IP address. To find your console’s IP address, do the following from your Xbox One:
1. From the Home screen, press the Menu button on your controller and select Settings.
2. Select Network.
3. Select Advanced Settings.
4. Write down your console’s specific IP address, which you’ll need to enter in the SmartGlass app. (Refer to step 2 of the previous task, “Connect SmartGlass to Your Console.”)
Using SmartGlass without Your Xbox
When you launch SmartGlass, instead of connecting to your Xbox One, you can choose to skip this process, which allows you to browse the app without being connected and perform simple activities like adding and removing pins. Any changes you make here sync with your console the next time you sign in.
Getting to Know the SmartGlass App
Once connected, the following features are available from the Home screen:
• Menu Bar—This area provides three main options: Main Menu (described later in this section), Connect (connect or disconnect from a console), and Search, which is equivalent to a Bing search on your Xbox One, enabling you to search for games, music, movies, and TV shows.
• My Pins—This area functions as a mirror of the pins you have available when signed in to your Xbox One console. Tapping a pin provides the following options: Play on Xbox One, Play in Snap, Details, and Unpin. If you’re not connected to your Xbox One, changes to what’s pinned will sync the next time you sign in to your console.
• Recent—Similar to the Home screen on your Xbox One console, this area displays your recently opened apps and games. Tapping a tile provides the following options: Play on Xbox One, Play in Snap (if supported), Details, and Unpin.
• Featured—Just like Featured on the Xbox One console, this area displays content that Microsoft is presently highlighting (advertising). Tap an item to display its Details screen, which includes an option to pin the item to My Pins.
• Information and Remote Bar—This bar describes what is presently playing on the Xbox One and provides options for controlling the volume on your television or sound system if configured on your console. It also provides a full-screen remote control, which is like a virtual wireless controller, for taking control of your console. (See the “Using SmartGlass as a Remote Control” section later in this chapter.) Media controls will also appear in this area when appropriate for a particular app or function.
Tapping the Main Menu icon reveals the following options:
• Home—Returns to the app’s Home screen
• Friends—Displays your Friends list and activity feed; similar to the Xbox One’s Friends app (see Chapter 6, “Making the Social Connection”)
• Achievements—Displays both your account’s achievements as well as the achievements of your friends
• Pins—Allows you to add and remove pins; a dedicated version of My Pins
• Messages—Enables you to view any messages received or send messages via your mobile device’s virtual keyboard
• Game Clips—Enables you to play any of the game clips from your Game DVR sessions
• Settings—Provides an option to keep your device from locking while the SmartGlass app is open, as well as displays app version and other miscellaneous information
Using SmartGlass as a Remote Control
The Xbox One’s Home screen, apps, and live TV can all be controlled with the full-screen remote that either appears automatically or is selected from the Remote Control icon. Taps activate the virtual equivalents of the wireless controller’s face buttons, while finger swipes mimic the D-pad or left stick. Tapping one of the media controls, when available, activates the appropriate function, such as Play or Fast Forward.
The SmartGlass app only presents the text input keyboard if you’re in the full-screen remote, which is selected from the Remote Control icon. Even if a text input box is displayed on the TV, you might still need to tap on the Smart-Glass app’s remote screen to put the console, and SmartGlass itself, into Text Input mode. If the keyboard is not visible on your TV, SmartGlass doesn’t display text input.
If the console is displaying the onscreen keyboard but the SmartGlass app is still showing the full-screen remote, tap the onscreen B button to dismiss the keyboard, then tap the onscreen A button to once again display the console keyboard.
Certain Xbox One apps have extended functions when the full-screen remote is displayed. For instance, Internet Explorer lets you control the equivalent of a mouse pointer with your finger, and also provides a dedicated address bar for quicker URL entry.
Using SmartGlass as a Second Screen
Videos and games that display the SmartGlass logo support second screen functionality when both the video or game and the SmartGlass app are running. For instance, when you’re watching television shows and movies that support it, Xbox SmartGlass turns into a companion app, providing extended information relevant to what’s happening on the screen. SmartGlass companion experiences include everything from the names and biographies of specific actors or characters to real-time journals and maps that help you keep track of what’s going on where in a program at a specific time.
For games that support SmartGlass, the possibilities are even more interesting. For instance, in Dead Rising 3, you’re provided with exclusive missions that unlock apps within the SmartGlass app, such as the ability to call in air strikes, drone support, or area-wide flares for distracting the masses of zombies bearing down on you. The SmartGlass app can also be used to locate specific types of items and abandoned storefronts, which is a great way for a friend to play a supporting role, such as for locating useful weapons or setting critical waypoints for mission objectives.
