Xbox is rolling out a refreshed friends and followers feature for Xbox Insiders. This will start Alpha Skip-Ahead users on Xbox consoles and those in the PC Gaming preview on Windows PCs and handheld devices. This update will significantly change how gamers manage their social interactions on Xbox.
The best part of this new update is the reintroduction of friend requests. You can once again send, accept, and decline friend requests. This is a lot better than the follow/follow-back system that has become standard for social media. Friendships on Xbox will now be reciprocal and require mutual acceptance. You will still be able to follow anyone, but that will remain a one-way type of connection. So you can just follow any user to stay updated about their clubs or games without formal friendship.
If you’re old enough to have used social media or a gaming console when it first introduced a friend system, it’s very similar to that. Existing friends and followers will be automatically adjusted to align with the new system. Users will remain friends with those who had also added them as friends and continue following those they hadn’t friended.
Managing friends and followers on Xbox consoles is also now straightforward. Anyone can find their existing friends and manage friend requests by going to the people tab after pressing the Xbox button on your controller. To manage your settings for friends, go to Settings > Account > Privacy & online safety > Xbox privacy > View details & customize > Friends, followers & clubs. You can also update your notification preferences on Xbox consoles by going to Settings, then Preferences, and pressing Notifications. The updated system is also accessible from Windows PCs and handheld devices, with plans to expand to other devices in the future.
Xbox encouraged its Insiders to provide feedback through the Xbox Insider subreddit or directly to Team Xbox. Anyone interested in joining the Xbox Insider Program and gaining early access to new features can join by downloading the Xbox Insider Hub.
Source: Xbox Wire
