Xbox players will soon be able to chat with friends wherever they may be. Microsoft is bringing a new Xbox party chat app to Android and iOS. You can try it now in beta before it makes its official debut.

If you’ve made friends on Xbox Live, but you’re yet to exchange contact details, the only way to chat with them is through your Xbox. But Microsoft’s new app will soon let you party chat wherever you may be by using your smartphone.

It’s great for cross-platform games, too!

It will also allow you to partake in party chat when you choose to play cross-platform games on other devices. For instance, if you’re friends are playing Minecraft on Xbox while you’re using PC, you no longer have to miss out on the conversation.

The new Xbox app is only available in beta for now. Anyone can download the Android version from Google Play, but you’ll need to apply for access to the iOS version. And you’ll need to be quick; Microsoft says only a limited number of spaces are available.

It’s not yet clear when the Xbox app will make its public debut. It would be nice if it arrives before Christmas, but that seems unlikely.