What you need to know
- You can now send, accept, or delete friend requests on Xbox as well as the standard follower functions.
- The function was only available to certain Insider tranches previously but has now rolled out to all users.
Thanks to Xbox, I can now make friends. Well, on my console that is, as the Friends and Followers update has now rolled out to everyone.
Being friends with someone on Xbox is now a two-way exchange, which involves the sending of a friend request and the acceptance of it by your potential friend. Existing people you are friends with on Xbox will remain friends with the new update, and following someone is a one-way street akin to following someone on Twitter/X, where you simply stay up to date with any content they choose to share. Here's how it all works:
Update your Xbox app, everywhere.
You'll notice when opening the Xbox app on Windows, it will prompt you to update with a message, so you'll need to do this before you see the new 'friend request' function. Additionally yesterday I had friend requests pop up on my mobile, but clicking on them yielded no results. This was because my Xbox app on my Samsung was also in need of an update. Update your Xbox app everywhere to use the Friends function.
Manage your friend request settings
To control who can send you friend requests or follow your account on Xbox, go to Settings > Account > Privacy & online safety > Xbox privacy on your console.
Then, select View details & customize > Friends, followers & clubs to adjust your preferences. You can also change your notification settings by navigating to Settings > Preferences > Notifications.
If you prefer to manage these settings online, sign in and go to Privacy & online safety. From there, customize your privacy settings as needed, then click Submit to save your changes.
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You'll now see 'friend requests' on your Xbox and in the Xbox app
Go forth and make friends! Xbox have also said that existing mutual friends will update automatically with this change. You'll stay friends with people who had also added you as a friend previously and continue following anyone who hadn't. Friends can be accepted, and deleted from the People tab on your Xbox guide.
The rollout to everyone, and not just those on the Insider program, happened on the same day as a shadow drop for Death Stranding landing on Xbox consoles so it's been a good week for stealth updates so far.
