Xbox August Update is Coming Today With New Discord Features

The Xbox August update is coming to Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One consoles today, and it brings the new Discord calling and streaming features that Microsoft has been testing with Insiders for a couple of weeks. The update also introduces new installation options for select games to reduce download times and save space.

If Microsoft was late to integrate Twitch streaming natively into the Xbox OS, the company was the first console maker to add Discord calling features on consoles in 2022, with PlayStation following a year later. Until now, Discord calling on Xbox was restricted to voice channels in servers, but the Xbox August update adds the ability to call Discord friends directly.

After relinking their Xbox profile with their Discount account, Xbox users will be able to opt-in to have their Discord friends appear in their Friends list on the Xbox guide. The “Happening Now” pane will also display when Discord contacts are playing games and chatting in a voice channel.

While it was already possible to stream Xbox gameplay to a Discord channel, today’s Xbox August update also makes it possible to watch Discord streams from the console. The Friends pane will show when Discord contacts are streaming games in a channel, and a ‘View stream’ will now appear on their profiles.

For games that support customizable installation options like the new Call of Duty hub, the Xbox August Update now makes it possible to choose what to install. As an example, if you just want to install the campaign of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and ignore the multiplayer and Warzone modes, you can now do so right before starting your download. These customizable installation options are also available for select PC games available via the Xbox app on PC.

Lastly, Microsoft mentioned two upcoming customization options for Xbox controllers via the Xbox Accessories app: Toggle Hold, which will alkow a controller button to be held down just by pressing it once, and a a shortcut to turn off your device once you’re finished using them.

In other Xbox-related news, Microsoft made Xbox Cloud Gaming available on two new Amazon Fire TV stick devices this week: the 1st gen Fire TV Stick 4K Max and the 3rd gen Fire TV Cube. To make Xbox games available on more screens without the need for a console, Microsoft also made its Xbox app available on Samsung’s recent smart TVs and monitors.