For those of us with console pals, today is a good day. Discord integration for Xbox is finally leaving the Insiders program and is available for everyone.
The integration means that PC players can chat with Xbox console users on Discord, as well as see their Xbox game activity. The feature has been in place for Insiders program members since July, but is now being opened up to the masses.
I tested it out and, unfortunately, the whole process of how to join is still a bit finicky and requires you to have your phone with you to get it set up. After linking your Xbox account to Discord, you’ll be able to transfer the call over from Discord to your Xbox. You also need the Xbox mobile app to make all this happen, so it’s not exactly the simplest of processes. It’s a little annoying having to have two apps, your phone, and your actual console to make it all work, but it’s nice that it even works at all.
Xbox Update: 100% of you should now be able to voice chat from your @Xbox console! If you are unable to do so, you probably do not own an Xbox. https://t.co/aqKbJLfcZ2September 13, 2022
To get Discord calls working on Xbox, you need to do the following:
- Connect your Xbox account to Discord via ‘Connections’ in User Settings
- Jump in a voice channel on Discord and select ‘transfer audio’
- Confirm in the Xbox mobile app that yes, you would please like to transfer the audio
You can transfer any voice call on Discord: from servers, direct messages and group DMs. It’s also a nice touch that people can see what you’re up to on Xbox and how long you’ve been playing it, the same as you can on PC.
Even though it’s a bit of a ballache to get going, I’m never gonna be mad about people having more ways to communicate across platforms. Not all of my friends own a PC and it can be annoying having Discord and game audio coming out of two separate channels, so this is a pretty neat addition. With PlayStation being my non-PC platform of choice, I’ll be patiently waiting for voice chat to arrive over there, too.