Updated 25 October 2026. Facts on this page come from minecraft.wiki, minecraft.net and the live Artemis PvP server; sources are listed at the bottom.
Minecraft Pocket Edition: History of Mobile Minecraft
Minecraft: Pocket Edition was the phone and tablet version, released for Android on 7 October 2011 (on the Xperia PLAY from 16 August 2011) and iOS on 17 November 2011. Written in C++, it grew from a small creative game into a full survival game, and in 2017 it became part of Bedrock Edition, dropping the Pocket Edition name.
How did Pocket Edition grow?
- 2011: Xperia PLAY release in August, then Android in October and iOS in November, with small worlds and few blocks.
- Early updates: survival, mobs, the Nether reactor (a stand-in for the Nether), infinite worlds and redstone came over the 0.x versions.
- 1.0 (2016): the End and the ender dragon.
- 1.1.x (2017): the last versions under the Pocket Edition name; the last iOS version was 1.1.7.
- Better Together (1.2, 2017): merged into Bedrock Edition with crossplay; see what Bedrock Edition is.
Can you still play Pocket Edition?
The Pocket Edition name is discontinued and no longer updated, but the same app on phones is now Bedrock Edition, with crossplay against Windows, consoles and other phones. Old copies can still run on devices that have them. See every Minecraft edition.
Was there a free version?
A free demo existed for early versions (0.2.1 and lower) and was removed from app stores in October 2013. Today's mobile Minecraft has a trial on some stores; see the Minecraft free trial.
How does mobile Minecraft differ from Java?
It is Bedrock: different redstone, combat and some mechanics, Marketplace content and touch controls. See Bedrock vs Java.
Can phone players join ArtemisPvP?
Frequently asked questions
When did Minecraft Pocket Edition come out?
Android on 7 October 2011 (Xperia PLAY 16 August 2011) and iOS on 17 November 2011.
Is Pocket Edition the same as Bedrock?
Pocket Edition became part of Bedrock Edition in 2017 and lost its name.
Sources
Every fact on this page was checked against these pages; the wording is ours.