Minecraft: Pocket Edition gets a beta update — here’s what new and different

Minecraft is changing on your smartphones and tablets.

Above: Minecraft is changing on your smartphones and tablets.

Image Credit: Mojang

Minecraft on iOS and Android is still well behind its PC and console counterparts, but it is slowly catching up.

Developer Mojang updated the beta version of Minecraft: Pocket Edition to version 0.14.0 today. This patch introduces a number of widely requested features, such as cauldrons and slime blocks. With more than 30 million copies of Minecraft: Pocket Edition sold, this is one of the most successful premium-priced games ($7 in the App Store and on Google Play) ever released for mobile devices. And those fans will likely welcome this update that closes the gap between their preferred version and Minecraft proper.

Among the in-game changes this update brings (which we’ll list below), Mojang is considering using this as a jumping off point for eliminating support for iPad 1 and iPod Touch 4 because. Those devices do not support iOS 7, and almost no one uses them, according to the game’s developer.

We’ll see if that drastic update goes through when 0.14.0 leaves beta later this year.

As for the rest of the changes, here are the big additions in 0.14.0:

  • New achievements
  • Maps
  • Witches
  • Cauldrons: For brewing potions
  • Droppers: Let you quickly drop items into a chest
  • Hoppers: Also drop items into a chest
  • Dispensers: A block that can dispense stored items on demand
  • Slime blocks: Craftable blocks that you can bounce on

For more, you can check out the Minecraft: Pocket Edition wiki.

Minecraft: Pocket Edition gets a beta update — here’s what new and different