Better Together Update

The Better Together Update is an upcoming update to Pocket Edition, Windows 10 Edition, Gear VR Edition, Apple TV Edition, Fire TV Edition, and a new version of the Xbox One Edition and Nintendo Switch Edition. It will be released for Pocket Edition as version 1.2, and as a new version for the Xbox One and Nintendo Switch. Beta testing for the update began on July 31, 2017. , and it was submitted to certification for 9 of the 10 platforms on September 15, 2017. It will be released on September 20th, 2017 on all platforms except Nintendo Switch, which is being delayed till the end of the year to get Xbox accounts working on it. The update for the Xbox One Edition 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 legacy versions for the Nintendo Switch and Xbox One will no longer receive updates once the full version is released. However, on a few devices, such as a kindle fire have been delayed until September 20, 2017.

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.

A beta has been released for Windows 10, Android, and Xbox One.

New version-exclusive features

 * How to Play tutorial
 * In-game shortcuts for certain commands
 * Featured servers
 * Coordinates (only accessible via cheats)

Features Ported from Other Editions

 * Blocks
 * Banner
 * Coarse Dirt
 * Jukebox
 * Stained Glass
 * 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
 * Ravines
 * Other
 * Ability to include a starting map and/or bonus chest when creating a world
 * Splitscreen
 * Choice of outline instead of highlight for block selection
 * Brewing Stand must be fueled with Blaze Powder
 * Added Recipe Book
 * Ability to change player skin while playing a world
 * Player permissions
 * Stained Glass and Stained Glass Pane are colored and drop themselves when broken

Features ported from, or similar to, Java Edition

 * New crafting system based on the Recipe Book
 * Server list
 * 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