Microsoft will extend Xbox Live support within mobile games past Windows Phone and onto iOS and Android, according to The Verge.

The Xbox SmartGlass apps for iOS and Android have experimented with achievements in the past. However, Microsoft wants to take it a step further by putting Xbox Live functionality within iOS and Android apps made by game developers, making for a cross-platform experience.

A job listing on Microsoft's website hinted at such technology: "We will create a modern framework that is open-source, lightweight, extensible and scalable across various platforms including Windows Store, Windows Phone, iOS, and Android."

Both Apple and Google already have Game Center and Google Play Games that enables multiplayer gameplay and achievements, however each are locked to their respective platforms. Microsoft's solution wants to take it across all platforms, including the Xbox One - making it mobile to console.

It's not clear when the technology may launch. The Verge reports Microsoft is hiring developers to build the new Xbox Live tools for iOS and Android developers to use in their apps.

Sometime in the future you could be playing a game on your iPhone while competing against someone on an Android smartphone, all while gaining achievements that would transfer over to the Xbox One.

The mobile games segment has been an explosive one, with sales growing 28 percent from $1.9 billion in 2012 to $2.8 billion in 2013, according to SuperData research. While Microsoft's console division is seeing plenty of sales, leaving the mobile segment out to dry could mean lost marketshare and revenue. 

We've contacted Microsoft for more and will update you if any more information comes to light.