UPDATE: Xbox One May System Update

Thanks to your continued feedback, a new month means we get to deliver a new set of fan-requested features on Xbox One. We’re streamlining your gaming experiences even more this time around, whether you’re looking for an easier way to power up the console or connect with distant friends in real time through voice messaging.

Let’s dive into the full list of features rolling out today in the May system update:

Voice Messages – 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 …”
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.

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 between Instant-on or Energy-saving mode.

Dedicated Servers for Party Chat – 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.
Fore more information on the Xbox One May System Update, read this article at Xbox Wire.
Keep the suggestions coming at Xbox Feedback, and we’ll continue to make Xbox One the best place to game.

UPDATE: April System Update: Voice Messages, Party Chat Updates and More Now in Preview

You may have noticed a few new features that rolled out to preview over the weekend, including game hub links and more detailed achievement notifications. Now this week, we’re bringing even more features to Xbox One in Preview, making it easier to keep in touch with friends on Xbox One or Xbox 360.


Check out the list below for features in the April preview update that are starting to roll out tonight:

• Voice messages – Xbox One preview program members will be able to compose and playback voice messages in the messages app when snapped on Xbox One. 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.
•  Dedicated servers for party chat – We’re enhancing party chat with dedicated chat relay servers that will enable Xbox One owners that may have historically had NAT issues to party chat more reliably. Parties where players are unable to form direct peer-to-peer connections for party chat will automatically leverage dedicated server infrastructure to relay traffic. This service is only enabled for parties where one or more members are previewing the April system update.
• What’s On – The Xbox engineering team is continuing to experiment with the What’s On area, which highlights popular videos, movies, TV shows and game broadcasts. We’re continuing to test different experiences for preview members in the U.S. and this month, the preview of this feature is being expanded to Canada and the UK as well.