Movies Anywhere can now be linked to your Microsoft account
With little fanfare (so far), you can now start linking your Microsoft account with Movies Anywhere.
Update: Through the rest of the month, Movies Anywhere is offering a free copy of X-Men: Days of Future Past when you sync your account with your Microsoft account. For more info, head to Thrifter.
Microsoft briefly revealed today that it was hopping on the Movies Anywhere bandwagon, opening up your Microsoft Store purchases to be synced across services like Google Play, iTunes, and Amazon. While we have yet to see an official announcement, the cat's out of the bag and you can now link your Microsoft account with Movies Anywhere.
To get started with linking your accounts, you'll have to stick with the Movies Anywhere mobile app for now. The website doesn't appear to have been updated just yet, but the Microsoft account option is currently available on mobile devices. Simply log in to Movies Anywhere, select "Manage Retailers" from the hamburger menu, and select the "Microsoft" option. From there, you'll be asked to sign in to your Microsoft account and give Movies Anywhere the required permissions to access your library.
Once you're all linked up, you should start seeing your eligible purchases from the Microsoft Store synced to Movies Anywhere and any other digital locker services you're signed into. Your purchases on Google Play, Vudu, Amazon, and iTunes will also be synced up with your Microsoft library.
One big caveat to all of this is that Movies Anywhere is still a U.S.-only service, so you're out of luck if you're located elsewhere. Participating studios may also be a roadblock, as Disney relies on agreements with studios to decide which movies are available to be linked across accounts. Currently, the list of studios that have signed on to Movies Anywhere includes Disney, Fox, Sony Pictures, Warner Bros. and Universal. Paramount, Lionsgate, and MGM still haven't jumped in.
Still, this is a big boon for Microsoft, as its Movies & TV app isn't available on Android or iOS ( at least not yet, anyway). With Movies Anywhere integration, you'll now be able to access all of your eligible Microsoft Store purchases no matter what service you have available across your devices. That goes the other way too, bringing purchases from iTunes and other libraries to your Windows 10 devices and Xbox One.
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Dan Thorp-Lancaster is the former Editor-in-Chief of Windows Central. He began working with Windows Central, Android Central, and iMore as a news writer in 2014 and is obsessed with tech of all sorts. You can follow Dan on Twitter @DthorpL and Instagram @heyitsdtl.