How to Enable the New Xbox Group Chat Features
The June Xbox system update for Xbox Series X / S and Xbox One is not as big as in previous months, but the latest firmware adds two important accessibility features for hearing and speech impaired players, as well as new parental controls and a new way to organize the page with games and applications. We’ll go over all the new features, how to use them, and how to install the update.
Speech-to-text and text-to-speech for multi-user group chat
The first of the new accessibility options, Speech-to-Text, converts the voices of other players in a group chat to on-screen text. Signatures are displayed as a small overlay that can be moved around the screen and adjusted so that it does not interfere with the gameplay and remains easy to read.
Another new feature, text-to-speech, turns typed text into synthesized speech. This way, players can have a “voice” in voice chat even if they don’t have a microphone or can’t speak. This feature supports multiple languages and offers multiple voice options for each language.
Xbox Insiders have had access to these features since May, but all users can now enable them in their Ease of Access settings:
- Press the Xbox button on your controller to open the guide, then go to Profile & System> Settings> Ease of Access> Game & Chat Transcriptions.
- Players can also enable text-to-speech and speech-to-text in the group chat options under Options> Configure Ease of Access Options.
- Select the transcription options you want to use. The page has additional settings to customize the transcription of text or speech according to your needs.
Use the new parental controls and reorder games and apps
The group chat access options are a standout addition in this month’s update, but there are a couple of other changes to look out for.
- Parent Network Requests: Parents can now change their child’s account settings to request permission before playing online or accessing other online features. This setting is found in the Xbox Guide under Profile & System> Settings> Account> Privacy & Online Safety> Xbox Privacy. You can also turn it on in the Xbox Family Settings mobile app. When this setting is enabled, parents will receive a network permission notification whenever an account you manage tries to play online. Permissions can be granted on your console or in the Xbox Family Settings app.
- Change the order of game and application groups: You can now change the order of the group folders on the Games and Applications page. Select the Move Groups option on the Games & Apps page.
All of these features will become available with the June 2021 Xbox System Update. Most users will receive the update automatically, but you can manually check it in the Xbox Guide menu under Profile & System> Settings> System> Updates.