The Android Version
Thu Dec 15. 2022
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Minecraft is the multi-platform Minecraft versions that were developed by Mojang Studios and SkyBox Labs. They are based on the Bedrock codebase.
Codebase Bedrock
The codebase is housed within a software program that manages the code and tracks its evolution. This allows the codebase not only to host the current version, but also all previous versions, the standalone Bedrock Dedicated Server versions (BDS), and multiple Beta versions simultaneously without conflicts.
Each target platform build is created and then sent to the platform's store. Each store has its own compliance requirements. Before making the edition available for download, it must pass a series certification tests. Xbox Game Studios tries to coordinate availability across stores. However, the certification process is not under their direct control and can delay an edition's availability.
The Education Edition, China Edition, and Minecraft Dungeons use the Bedrock code.
Nomenclature
For several reasons, confusion was created in the community by the renaming of the Bedrock editions into Minecraft without any "Edition" subtitles.
- Until then, this name was used to refer to the Java Edition. It is not Bedrock Edition. The Java edition was renamed Minecraft: Java Edition. This version is not the Bedrock Edition. These names are very similar to Legacy Console Editions for the same platforms. They are called Minecraft: Xbox One Edition or Minecraft: Nintendo Switch Edition. This confuses many people about the differences between these versions.
- The term "Minecraft", as it is still used, was also used to refer to the game.
These complications combined made Minecraft's official name unusable for collectively referring to the Bedrock Editions. However, editors of this Wiki needed a term to describe the Bedrock Engine across all editions. It was adopted by the community and is now the standard term for all Bedrock editions. Employees at Mojang Studios have used Bedrock Edition to refer the edition in news articles. This was until June 7, 2022, when Java Edition and Bedrock Edition were sold together in a bundle titled Minecraft: Java & Bedrock Edition. This marks the first official use for "Bedrock Edition” as a subtitle in any Bedrock Editions.
Gameplay
The Bedrock Edition is different from Legacy Console Edition and Java Edition in many ways. It has more saturated graphics, different terrain generation and exclusive items. Each device has its own HUD and other elements. The game can be accessed via keyboard, mouse, touchscreen, or controller.
Differences to Java Edition include:
- Some mobs and blocks behave and look different from their Java Edition counterparts.
Multiplayer allows 4 ways to connect players: - LAN allows 8 or more players on one world.
Realms
A user-created, external server
- A Microsoft account. Java Edition uses Microsoft accounts since December 1, 2020.
Bedrock Edition features are only available on specific platforms.
Virtual reality is only available on Windows and PlayStation 4.
Windows is the only platform that supports exporting and import of worlds.
- Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation 4 don't support IP joining servers.
Multiple control types are supported by Windows, Android, iOS and iPadOS devices. Keyboard & mouse, controller, and touch
- The scripting engine can only be used on Windows.
Compatible devices
- Any Surface except original Surface, Surface 2, & Surface Duo line
- Most Windows PCs
- Pixel (all models)
- Most Android mobile devices
- Fire HD (2014 and later)
- Fire (2015 and later)
- Fire HDX 8.9 (2014)
- iPhone 5 and later
- iPhone SE (all models)
- iPad (4th generation) or later
- iPad Air (all models)
- iPad mini 2 and later
- iPad Pro (all models).
- iPod touch (6th generation) or later
Some devices below these specifications have been found to work well with or without custom kernels, ROM images, or overclocking. The MSM7227 CPU does not support floating-point units. The Tegra 2 processor is not supported due to its lack of support for Neon.
Development
Release
In an interview with Mojang Studios, a version for iOS was confirmed to have been released before 2012. It was released on November 17, 2011.
Alpha
The Bedrock codebase was portable to other platforms during the Alpha phase. Pocket Edition was first released for Fire on September 13, 2012 and Windows Phone on December 10, 2014. The Windows 10 Edition Beta was available on July 29, 2015 at a slightly higher price than Pocket Edition. Gear VR Edition was released April 27, 2016, at the same price as Pocket Edition.
Two other versions were released during this time that are based on Bedrock Edition but are separate from the Bedrock Edition. Pi Edition is a discontinued and free version of Minecraft for Raspberry Pi. It was created from an old alpha version Bedrock. Education Edition was released on November 1, 2016 for Windows and macOS.
Full release
1.2.0 (September 20, 2017)
Android: 1.19.22
iOS & iPadOS: 1.19.22
Fire: 1.19.22
Windows: 1.19.22
Xbox: 1.19.22
Nintendo Switch: 1.19.22
PlayStation: 1.19.22
Yes, USD:
iOS, iPadOS, & Fire: $6.99
Android : $7.49
Xbox & PlayStation: $19.99
Windows & Nintendo Switch: $29.99
The full release of the game, version 1.0.0 (also known as the Ender Update), was announced on November 11, 2016. It was released along with the Apple TV Edition (Fire TV Edition) on December 19, 2016. Pocket Edition received updates for Windows 10 Mobile from Microsoft on February 22, 2017.
The Better Together Update has changed the subtitle of the Bedrock editions to Minecraft. The update included a port of Bedrock Edition for Xbox One, and one for Nintendo Switch. It was released digitally on June 21, 2018, and physically on June 21, 2018. PlayStation 4 users received the Bedrock Edition along with the 1.14.0 upgrade on December 10, 2019. The new version is available for free to owners of the Legacy Console Edition. The Gear VR and Windows 10 Mobile editions were removed from the game in October 2020. The Fire TV edition of this game was removed in June 2021.
Versions Beta and Preview
Mojang Studios began releasing public testing versions of full Android updates on November 22, 2013. This was in order to receive significant feedback, particularly for bug reporting, and to encourage users to sign up for the beta program. This allowed the official updates to be significantly more stable.
Versions 0.8.0 to 0.12.1 required signing up to a Google+ group in order to receive development builds. Players would then see the development updates as regular updates in Google Play Store. Due to the large amount of spam and ads that the group attracted, the Google+ group had to be removed on July 17, 2015. The PE Beta team published a blog dedicated to users on November 3, 2015. This blog was used to allow them to opt in to the 0.13.0 beta program, and to display changelogs.
You can opt in to the beta program on Windows and Xbox One using the Xbox Insider Hub app. This is available since July 31, 2017 and since August 24, 2017. The Xbox One beta was only available to owners of the digital version, not the disc, before the Better Together Update.
The beta program was extended to other platforms starting on January 31, 2022. This included iOS and iPadOS with Minecraft Preview. Minecraft Preview has replaced the Xbox Insider Hub beta program.
Experimental Gameplay allows players to test out unfinished or in-progress features. This toggle can be activated through world settings but it cannot be disabled again.
Sales
Pocket Edition, the only Bedrock Codebase edition, had sold 16.5 millions copies as of December 2013. The Java Edition had sold 13,000,000 copies. These numbers were calculated after the 0.8.0 update. This was a huge success. Pocket Edition outsold Legacy Console Edition and Java Edition, despite being the least developed at the time.
Marsh Davies announced on December 2, 2016 that Pocket Edition had sold more than 40 million copies. Java Edition had sold more than 24 million at the time. This statistic also included Windows 10 Edition as well as Gear VR Edition.
Minecraft is also often in the top 10 and frequently #1 in the App Store's or Google Play's Paid Apps section in the Top Charts.