Discord’s Voice Chat Function Finally Coming To Xbox Consoles

Discord has announced that local and cross-platform voice chat is finally coming to Microsoft gaming consoles, namely the Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One. Though not widely rolled out just yet, the feature is now available to testers under the Xbox Insiders program.

At its current state, the platform only offers limited functionalities on Xbox consoles – with its key feature, voice chats, missing entirely. One way to remedy this is by initiating or joining calls via the Discord app on your smartphone, but that also means you’ll be relying on multiple audio sources for the session – one for game audio and another for tuning in to voice chats, which is doable but not too practical.

The upcoming Discord voice call functionality that’s coming to the console, however, is not as straightforward as most users would’ve hoped. The long and short of it, this new ability is somewhat an improvement to the solution we’ve mentioned above, sans the need for an extra audio source for the experience. You are required to have the Xbox mobile app installed on your smartphone though, as it will be the platform that bridges Discord’s voice chat to your Xbox console.

First, you need to connect your Discord and Xbox accounts on both the former and latter’s apps. Even if you’ve already done so in the past, Discord notes that you’ll have to relink them again when this new feature is available. Once that’s done, initiate or join a call via the Discord app and tap “transfer to Xbox.” Activating this will then automatically bring up the Xbox app, where you’re required to confirm the process.

From here, both input and output for voice chats are handled directly by your Xbox console, provided that the device and your smartphone are connected to the internet. The platform adds that you can transfer calls from desktop or web clients to your Xbox console as well.

“While you are playing on your console, you will be able to see who is on the call and speaking,” explains Xbox principal program manager Eric Voreis via an official news release. “You’ll also be able to adjust the sound, and switch between Discord Voice and Xbox game chat.”

Both Microsoft and Discord say the new voice chat feature will expand to more testers in the coming weeks. Seeing that the former’s testing period often spans a couple of weeks to even months, it might take a while for it to be widely available to all Xbox users.

Instagram To Revamp Search Function To Prioritise On Photo And Video Content

Instagram has announced that it will be revamping its search function, making it easier to look up for images or videos relevant to the keyword used. This is an improvement over the current version, which instead prioritises on matching search terms to account names and hashtags.

In a video posted on the platform and Twitter, Instagram head Adam Mosseri explained that this update, which he coined as “Interest Search”, will help users to discover even more content on the platform beyond relying on hashtags and profile hits. The same video demonstrated the new search function, which now returns a gallery of images and videos relevant to the keyword in the “Top” tab. Account and hashtag related results, as well as those under Audio and Places are still discoverable and can be browsed via their respective tabs in the feature.

The improved search function is a much appreciated update, albeit arriving after more than a decade since Instagram’s debut. For the longest time, users have been mostly relying on the platform’s Discover feature which randomly lists content based on topics related to their recent Instagram activities. While interesting, most recommendations provided by this feature often appear irrelevant and less personalised than hoped. The alternative is using the existing version of the search function by using hashtags which do provide better results, but only displaying those that are actually tagged with the keyword.

Instagram did not reveal when this updated search feature will be rolled out. It also noted that it will enhance Interest Search further by adding more supported languages and other improvements in order to discover even more relevant content for users. 

Android 12 To Feature Gaming Mode, Improved Autorotate Function

Android 12 will soon be available as a Developer’s Preview. Codenamed “Snow Cone” and like all new and soon-to-be-released systems, the mobile OS will undoubtedly introduce new features, while also improving upon currently existing Android features.

One new feature that Google seems to be working on for Android 12 is a supposed Game Mode, in the form of a “GameManager service”. XDA explains that the feature is distinct from the currently existing “GameManagerClient”, that is a part of the Google Play Services. There’s still not a lot of information over how Google’s dedicated Game Mode will function, other than the feature will supposedly incoming smartphone features such as notifications, brightness and sounds. When a user is immersed in a mobile gaming session.

Moving on, the Developer’s Preview seems to also feature a revamped autorotation function, which has been dubbed as “Smart Autorotate”. In this case, Google seems to have managed to get the feature working hand-in-hand with its own AI and a phone’s front-facing camera, to detect the orientation of your head.

While this may not seem like a big deal to some, and frankly, it’s far from a sophisticated update. However, it does seem to address the frustration of a phone’s screen rotating when you don’t want it to. Of course, one can always just disable the auto-rotate feature that is part and parcel of the Android OS.

That’s all there is for Android 12 for now. Again, the Developer’s Preview is expected to be made available from tomorrow onwards, so there will definitely be more to learn from then until its official release.

2021 iPhone Reportedly Features 120Hz Display With Always-On Function And Improved Cameras

Despite its expected Q4 launch window later this year, it is never too early for iPhone leaks. New information regarding Apple’s upcoming 2021 flagship model – which would unlikely be named as the “iPhone 13” because of obvious reasons – has surfaced online, thanks to leakster Max Weinbach via YouTuber EverythingApplePro.

This time around, it is said that the new handset would feature a battery-efficient LTPO (low-temperature polycrystalline oxide) display, with a high refresh rate of 120Hz – the highest ever featured on the company’s smartphone releases. An even more interesting tidbit from Weinbach revealed that this model may also be Apple’s first iPhone to come with an always-on display. This suggests that the upcoming model would be even more power conserving than its predecessors – something that cannot be proven accurate until we are able to test it out for ourselves, which is still a long way to go.

The always-on display feature has been a standard on most Android smartphones, and was already introduced on the company’s Apple Watch wearables starting with the Series 5. The leak detailed that notification bars and icons will be displayed for a limited amount of time on-screen when the phone is locked, while the battery and clock indicators would be visible throughout.

Weinbach added the 2021 iPhone would also feature upgraded cameras, but was not specific regarding their improvements. Instead, the leakster said that the handset would come with a better ultra-wide camera, automatic astrophotography, and a Galaxy S21-like portrait video mode. Other than that, he claims that the handset’s rear case would sport a grippier matte finish and the built-in MagSafe magnets are stronger too.

Keep in mind that the MagSafe feature on the current iPhone 12 models is known to cause interference with medical implants, as previously reported. Therefore, Apple’s precaution of keeping its iPhones away from these devices would still apply to the supposed upcoming models, given its increased magnet strength.

As a quick recap, earlier rumours of the 2021 iPhone specifications suggests a smaller notch on its display, and an in-display Touch ID feature – another purported first for Apple’s smartphones. Weinbach’s recent leak also corroborated on an earlier report claiming that the upcoming models would sport a similar design to last year’s iPhone 12 series, but with some minor tweaks.

As usual, we highly advise to take the provided information with a pinch of salt despite Weinbach and EverythingApplePro’s track record in regards to smartphone leaks. With the 2021 iPhone’s expected announcement still being far off, we can expect even more rumours and leaks to surface along the way.