Does Apex Legends Mobile support cross-play?
Best answer: No. Although Apex Legends Mobile can be played between Android and iOS, cross-play is not supported between the mobile version and Apex Legends on console or PC. Apex Legends Mobile is built specifically for mobile devices and is not just a straight port of Apex Legends.
What is Apex Legends Mobile?
Apex Legends Mobile is a mobile spin-off of the popular battle royale developed by Respawn Entertainment. Though it includes some of the same iconic characters and maps, it will differ from the console and PC versions of Apex Legends.
Respawn first released Apex Legends in February 2019, seemingly as an alternative to Fortnite, one of the best battle royales out there. Apex Legends stars hero characters, appropriately dubbed Legends, who have unique abilities that players can use throughout matches. What makes Apex Legends a little different from its competition is that it focuses on co-op and teamwork play, grouping players into squads of two or three people.
How does cross-play work?
Cross-play allows players on different platforms to play games with one another. For instance, the console versions of Apex Legends let people on Xbox and PlayStation compete in the same matches. In the past, multiplayer like this used to be limited to one platform, meaning only PlayStation players could play with other PlayStation users. Though Apex Legends Mobile will be playable across Android and iOS, it will not support cross-play between the console and PC versions of the game.
Why doesn't Apex Legends Mobile support cross-play?
Apex Legends Mobile is a completely separate game from Apex Legends. It isn't just a simple port of Apex Legends available on mobile devices. Instead, it was designed from the ground up to work on mobile, and it won't feature the exact same content as Apex Legends on console and PC. It's expected to have its own seasons and update cadence independent of what's offered in Apex Legends on console and PC. That said, Respawn is working hard to ensure that it "truly feels like Apex Legends at its core." It's even being built by some of the team working on Apex Legends proper.
Play with friends
While it may be disappointing to some people that it doesn't support cross-play between various platforms, it's for a good reason. The gameplay and controls are just fundamentally different on mobile than on console and PC. If you're still interesting in trying it out, you can still play together with those on Android and iOS devices. It's available for free with in-game microtransactions.
