Xbox launches new reporting feature for in-game voice chats

Xbox announced today that it’s testing a new safety feature for users to report inappropriate voice chats they receive in-game. Specifically, players are able to record footage of a recent interaction — up to 60 seconds’ worth of footage — and then submit it to the safety team. The feature rolls out today for certain levels of Xbox Insiders.

Players can initiate the 60-second reactive recording when they receive the inappropriate message, which they can attach to their report. According to Xbox, it’s designed to be quick and easy to do, with players being able to jump back into their gameplay with minimal impact. The feature is available on Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One and in thousands of games that support multiplayer including Xbox 360-era titles.

Dave McCarthy, Xbox’s CVP of player services, said in an Xbox Wire post, “Players come to Xbox to build friendships, be competitive and to experience incredible games – and they expect to be treated fairly, for interactions to be free of hate or harassment … . When we looked at the next important step in our safety innovation, our team targeted in-game chat because it is often the place where players have the highest opportunity to interact with players outside of their friend network.”

The Xbox Wire post also includes several testimonials from Xbox Ambassadors who report receiving harassment or toxicity via voice chat and how difficult it is to track such a thing usually. Only the player capturing the clip can view it until they actively use it in their report, and it’s not saved alongside recent, more celebratory captures. It’s currently available to Insiders in English-speaking countries, with Xbox working on support for multiple languages.