Microsoft is making its Xbox subscription practices more transparent for consumers

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Published onJanuary 27, 2022

published onJanuary 27, 2022

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Following an investigation from theUK’s Competition and Markets Authority(CMA), Microsoft has agreed to change its Xbox subscription practices to increase transparency for consumers (viaEurogamer). The changes will apply to Xbox Live Gold as well as Xbox Game Pass, Microsoft’s game subscription service that recently crossed 25 million subscribers.

The issue raised by the CMA is that Microsoft’s Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass subscriptions are often offered to consumers on an auto-renewal basis, something that not all new subscribers may not be aware of. Overall, the CMA estimated that it’s probably too easy for consumers to forget how to turn off automatic renewal, or too difficult to find how to do it.

In accordance with the CMA, Microsoft has agreed to introduce the following changes to make its Xbox subscription practices more transparent:

The CMA launched its consumer law investigation into the auto-renewal practices of Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo back in 2019, and Microsoft was the first company to agree to make a series of improvements. “Other companies offering memberships and subscriptions that auto-renew should take note, and review their practices to ensure they comply with consumer protection law,” said Michael Grenfell, Executive Director of Enforcement at the CMA.

Radu Tyrsina

Radu Tyrsina has been a Windows fan ever since he got his first PC, a Pentium III (a monster at that time).

For most of the kids of his age, the Internet was an amazing way to play and communicate with others, but he was deeply impressed by the flow of information and how easily you can find anything on the web.

Prior to founding Windows Report, this particular curiosity about digital content enabled him to grow a number of sites that helped hundreds of millions reach faster the answer they’re looking for.

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