The May update for Xbox One is beginning to roll out to owners of the system, Microsoft announced today. Included in the update is the ability to send voice messages to friends, something that has been requested since back when the console launched.
Also packed into the update are some nifty updates to the SmartGlass app. Now you’ll be able to power your Xbox One on and off from the app. Microsoft has also added dedicated servers to the party chat, though they did add that the feature isn’t 100% released yet and is just being tested this month. By confirming whether or not your party is being affected by NAT type issues, a dedicated server will be enabled to host the chat sessions should there be any issues.
Also added, after some criticism from certain groups, is the ability to switch to an energy-saving mode for the console. In this mode, the Xbox will require you to press the button on the console in order to turn it on.
Check below for the full breakdown of what’s coming in May:
-
Voice Messages – Starting today, you can now send and receive voice messages from the Xbox One messages app. This is the No. 1 feature requested in the Friends and Parties area on the Xbox Feedback site > “Add audio message …” Quickly and easily record audio to send to your friends or others through your snapped messages app, accessed through a simple quick double tap of the Xbox button. Additionally, voice messages can be exchanged between Xbox 360 and Xbox One consoles.
-
Power On/Off from Xbox One SmartGlass – The Xbox One SmartGlass app for Windows, Windows Phone, iOS and Android are being updated to let you power your Xbox One on and off when your devices are on the same home network as your console. This feature request has more than 4,000 votes on the Xbox Feedback site.
-
User Selectable Power Mode – We are also altering the initial setup experience on Xbox One worldwide to enable you to select your preferred power mode. Instant-on enables you to use the “Xbox on” voice command and receive background updates to console, game and app updates. Energy-saving mode is a low power state that requires you to press the Xbox button on your console to start up your Xbox One. For additional information, see this post on Xbox Wire.
-
Dedicated Servers for Party Chat – Back in March, we enabled dedicated chat relay servers for Xbox One preview members to solve NAT traversal issues that prevented some people from being able to use party chat. Over the coming weeks, we will start to expand the availability of the party chat relay services beyond preview members to a broader audience as we continue to fine tune the feature and scale out the servers needed to support party chat relay services.
Are you happy with the Xbox One update for this month? Were you waiting anxiously to send friends voice messages? What else would you like to see updated for the console in the coming months? Let us know in the comments below.
