Google retiring Challenges, Quests, Requests, and iOS support for Play Games

By Kyle Wiggers Published April 5, 2017

Since 2013, when Google launched Play Games, its answer to Apple’s Game Center and Amazon’s GameCircle, the Mountain View, California-based company has invested heavily in the service’s growth. It added in-app chat, system notifications, achievements, and matchmaking, as well as support for cloud-synced save games and Google+, Google’s social network. And now, it’s being streamlined to make way for new features down the road.

A few of Google Play Games’s lesser-known features have gone away. Starting March 31, 2018, Play Games will no longer supports Gifts, which lets friends send in-game items or other tangible form of assistance to friends; Requests, which let friends reach out for that assistance; and Quests, which tasked players with completing time-restricted challenges.

Recommended Videos

Google is also retiring iOS support. As the company promised in December, support for Google Play Games on Apple devices like the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch is ending. The latest software development kit for Google Play Games (version 2.3 ) no longer supports integration with iOS apps and games, and Google won’t be supporting or updating its iOS game tools going forward.

Google said it’s retiring the features due to their waning popularity. “[After] listening to developer feedback and examining usage, [we’re] focus[ing] on making our offering more useful,” a Google spokesperson said. “These changes allow us to focus our efforts on the services developers value most to build high-quality, engaging games.”

Google’s gaming efforts extend beyond Android. In 2015, the company introduced development tools for Chromecast, its $35 streaming HDMI dongle. And at the Games Developer Conference in March, the company took the wraps off “Playables,” a new HTML5-based ad type that lets developers embed demos in web banner advertisements and elsewhere.

The company has also led an effort to ubiquitize game streaming from mobile devices. In 2015, it added the ability for Android users to beam gameplay on the go using Mobile Capture on YouTube Gaming, a streaming video game platform. Viewers can subscribe to their favorite channels for $4 per month in more than 40 countries in exchange for access to live chats, a special chat badge, and public thanks from the streamer.

Google’s YouTube Gaming follows in the footsteps of Twitch, a live-streaming platform Amazon acquired for $1 billion. Amazon retailer has recently attempted to convert the service’s views to sales by selling games and in-game content alongside streams. Whether Google follows suit remains to be seen.

Former Staff Writer

Kyle Wiggers is a writer, Web designer, and podcaster with an acute interest in all things tech. When not reviewing gadgets…

Topics

Phones

Musk’s SpaceX could finally launch its carrier service after buying Boost Mobile

Elon Musk found a workaround after major mobile carriers blocked SpaceX’s network request.

SpaceX-Boost-Mobile-deal

Elon Musk wants SpaceX to become more than a rocket and satellite internet company. After Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T all turned down SpaceX's request to use their networks, the trillionaire is reportedly exploring a deal with Boost Mobile that could help the company enter the $235 billion US wireless market.

SpaceX has discussed either acquiring Boost or gaining access to its existing cellular network through parent company EchoStar. Neither option has been finalized, but it could give Musk a shortcut into an industry dominated by Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile.

Phones

[EXCLUSIVE]: How Lexar made Muse, the world’s thinnest portable SSD that looks like a metal card

Lexar made a sleek metallic SSD that's just one millimeter across and magnetically attaches to your phone. The engineering is also pretty special on this one.

Lexar Muse SSD.

For decades, Lexar has been one of the most reliable names in memory and storage. From the era of megabyte-class storage cards and picture card drives to industry-first high-capacity cards, NVMe drives, and a stainless steel SD card as recently as 2024, the company has seen — and done — it all. Lexar's legacy has been a mainstay in the camera enthusiast community for years, and it's easy to see the brand's logo in a professional's kit.

So, it was only poetic that for its 30th anniversary, Lexar created something special. And this time around, that something special was targeted at smartphones, the device that has quickly become the camera of choice for the entire world. That reveal came at IFA 2026, where Lexar launched Muse, the world’s thinnest SSD. It's stunningly sleek and almost looks like a metallic card. It's so thin that there's not even a USB-C port, and it attaches magnetically to the back of your phone.

Phones

I visited Infinix’s first global flagship store, and it’s unlike any phone store I’ve been to

Phones, coffee, and robots: Infinix's Bali concept store was a delightful surprise

Infinix Flagship Store

I've been to plenty of smartphone stores over the years, and I can't tell any of these experiences apart. Picture neatly arranged tables, rows of smartphones, and the occasional accessory tucked away in a corner. Honestly, this works for most people who show up knowing exactly what they need and just leave.

So, when Infinix invited me to Bali for the grand opening of its first global flagship concept store, I was curious to see what the company had planned. I expected an elaborate showroom and a few extra things, like eye-catching installations to celebrate the occasion. And while there were a few of these, a lot of the things that actually caught my eye were permanent parts of the store.