Sony's PlayStation app is a great way to get more out of your gaming experience. With it, you can connect with the social side of gaming as well as your games themselves.
Here's a run-down of Sony's PlayStation app with 10 reasons why you should use it.
What Is the PlayStation App?
In case you're not familiar, the PlayStation app is a mobile app that supplements your console gaming experience. It gives you some console features, such as access to the PlayStation Store and PlayStation Messaging, but it can also work with your console.
You can download the PS app (free) on either an iOS or Android device, and, after you sign in with your PSN account, you can keep up with all things PlayStation, no matter where you are.
With Sony's PlayStation App, You Can...
Now, let's take a look at 10 things you can do with the PS app, which all provide a great case for why you should get it.
1. Browse, Purchase, and Wishlist Items in the PlayStation Store
The PlayStation app lets you shop for games on the go with access to the PlayStation Store. Here, you can browse through hundreds of games, new and old, sift through the PS Store's regular sales, and wishlist games that stand out to you.
It's great to be able to access the PS Store whenever you like and navigate it on your phone for a few minutes, which is much quicker and more convenient than doing it on your console.
2. Download Games to Your PS4 or PS5 Remotely
A huge benefit the PS app gives you is the ability to download games to your PS4 or PS5 from your phone, no matter where you are.
This comes in handy, for example, when you're away from your console, and a game you want goes on sale. All you have to do is purchase that game and let it download to your console while you're away. With the download size of games nowadays, this efficient process can save you a lot of time.
3. View Your Games Library
With the PS app, you can view your games library and scroll through your recently played games as well as view the full list of your digital PS4 and PS5 purchases.
This is useful to locate games you've deleted to free up space and forgotten about. You can also head straight to the game page of any game in your library to see if any new content is there, or if it's on sale.
4. View and Edit Your PSN Profile
The PS app is also arguably the best way to view and edit your PSN profile.
Whether you're looking to change your PS4 profile avatar, edit your profile description, or update your privacy or security settings, you can do it all on your phone. Like before, this is a much quicker and more accessible way of handling your PSN profile than doing it on your console or computer.
5. View Your Trophy Collection
In addition to your PSN profile, you can view all your games' trophies and track your progress.
Scrolling through the trophies of your games is quick and smooth with the PS app, and you've got all the usual info you'd find with your console (e.g. what kind of trophy, its rarity). You can also view your friends' trophies, if their privacy settings allow for it, and compare how you're both doing.
6. Message Your Friends and Coordinate Group Gaming Sessions
As you probably expect, you can message friends with the PS app and coordinate group gaming sessions with PlayStation Parties.
While it's great that you can message people with your console, it's infinitely easier to use your phone instead of a controller. You can also message your friends while you game without having to move away from the action on your console.
7. Access Your In-Game Screenshots
Another great feature of the PS app is that you can access your in-game screenshots with PlayStation Messaging.
The current ways you can share PS4 or PS5 videos and screenshots are very limited, and something Sony could definitely improve on. But, of the few options available, this is the quickest and easiest way to get your beautiful in-game screenshots from your console.
And, once you're familiar with the process, you'll be sending over your in-game photos within a few seconds.
8. Keep Up With the Latest PlayStation News
The PS app is also a great news hub if you're looking to keep up with the latest announcements.
You can view posts from the official PlayStation Blog and scroll through various news posts from games. It's a neat way to keep in touch with new releases, updates, and see what's going on in the PlayStation community.
9. Delete Your PS5 Games Remotely
Coming into the PS5-era, the PS app has some great practical features. One of these is that you can delete PS5 games remotely with the PlayStation app.
This means that you can keep on top of your PS5 storage space without having to sort through it on your console, which is great if you're looking to buy a game remotely, but need to check how much storage space you have left on your PS5.
10. Launch Your PS5 Games Remotely
Another useful feature the PS apps brings to the PS5 is that you can launch your PS5 games from your phone.
This is a small but convenient feature. Also, combined with all the other PS app features, this means that you can carry out a lot of your gaming accessory work on your phone (buying games, adding, deleting games, launching games) and leave the actual gaming to your PS5.
There's Still Room for Improvement
There are a lot of useful things the PlayStation app offers, and this app is essential if you want to connect to all things PlayStation no matter where you are.
The PS app is a good app, arguably a great one. But, with Sony and social features, there's always a catch. Whether it's the PS app, the PlayStation Store, PlayStation Messaging, or anything to do with your PSN profile, Sony should improve its social experience to the level of its outstanding game consoles and titles.