The Minecraft: PE Better Together update is now in beta testing

Mojang has been hard at work bringing the many different versions of Minecraft into feature parity. That’s great news for mobile players since the PC and console versions often take precedent when it comes to new features.

The long-promised Better Together Update is now in beta for Minecraft: Pocket Edition and with it will come the ability to play with Xbox One and Nintendo Switch players. PlayStation 4 and PS Vita players have been left out of this because Sony decided not to pursue cross-platform compatible play with their devices.

So what else is new in the update?

New Features in Better Together Update

• Stained Glass
• Fireworks (with Elytra boost!)
• Parrots
• Banners
• Armor stands
• Jukebox and music discs
• Recipe Book
• Book and Quill
• Ravines
• COARSE DIRT – O to the M G
• New world start options: Starting Map, Bonus Chest, Trust Players
• New game rules: TNT Explodes, Natural Regeneration
• Added ‘/tickingarea’ command to create areas that still update when no players are there
• Player permissions
• Zombie Villager spawn egg
• In-game host options
• New loading screens with funny and helpful tips
• How to Play screen
• Remix 3D and structure blocks
• Split-screen (Console only)
• World conversion

That’s quite a bit of change for one update. If you want to participate in the latest update, you’ll need to join the Minecraft: Pocket Edition beta on Google Play. Here’s how to do that.

How to join the Minecraft: PE beta

1. Click this link to access the Minecraft: Pocket Edition beta.
2. Press the bright blue ‘Become a Tester’ button.
3. Wait for the beta status to update in the Play Store to download the new beta app.
4. To leave the beta, click ‘Leave Program’ on this page.