Better Together Update

The Better Together Update is the name for Minecraft: Pocket Edition version 1.2, an upcoming update with no set release date. According to the Better Together FAQ, it will release in fall 2017. Beta testing began on July 31, 2017.

The Better Together Update will also be released on Xbox One and Nintendo Switch, as a new version rather than an update. It will be free to gamers who own a digital copy or have played the disc version for at least 5 hours in the past 12 months. The Xbox One version is also currently in Beta test and can be downloaded from the Xbox Insider app. Once the full version is released, the legacy versions for the Nintendo Switch and Xbox One will no longer receive updates.

The official name for the update, Better Together Update, reflects the planned addition of cross-platform compatibility between the Pocket Edition (Android/iOS only), Windows 10 Edition, Xbox One Edition, Gear VR Edition, and Nintendo Switch Edition. The editions will be merged under one title - "Minecraft".

With the release of the Better Together Update, the original PC version, which is officially named Minecraft but commonly called "the Java edition", will be renamed to Minecraft: Java Edition to distinguish it from the cross-platform version.

New version-exclusive features

 * How to Play tutorial
 * In-game shortcuts for certain commands
 * Featured Servers, a list of commercial servers vetted by Mojang

Features ported from Console Edition

 * Blocks
 * Banner
 * Coarse Dirt
 * Jukebox
 * Structure Block (limited function, only on Windows 10)
 * Items
 * Music Disc
 * Armor Stand
 * Book and Quill and Written Book
 * Firework Rocket
 * Firework Star
 * Mobs
 * Parrot
 * Generated structures
 * Ravine
 * Other
 * Ability to include a starting map and/or bonus chest when creating a world
 * Split-screen mode for multiplayer games
 * Adventure Mode
 * Choice of outline instead of highlight for block selection
 * Brewing Stand must be fueled with Blaze Powder

Features ported from, or similar to, Java Edition

 * New crafting system based on the Recipe Book
 * command for functionality similar to spawn chunks
 * Ability to change player skin while playing a world
 * Player permissions
 * Stained Glass and Stained Glass Pane are colored and drop themselves when broken