October Xbox One System Update Rolling Out Now

New firmware makes it easier to assign accessories to specific players.

Xbox One October system update is now rolling out to all consoles, introducing new features to Snap Center, Achievements, Friends, TV functions and more.

New controls for the Snap feature allows for smoother navigation when using the function. Double tapping the Xbox button on the controller provides easy access to the Friends list, game DVR, clock, achievements, messages and battery.

This function brings up a menu to open a new app in snap mode, close the current snapped app or toggle between a game and the app. In addition, hitting double tap and the X button while in an active game will record the last 30 seconds of gameplay.

Friends Snap App and Messages Snap App have been optimized for Snap mode. For instance, players can now open, read and respond to messages in Snap mode and the friends list can be accessed without leaving the game. The revamped Friends section lets users see at a glance friends current activities, the most popular games and a Gamerscore leaderboard “to see who has improved their Gamerscore over the last 30 days.”

Achievements App has also been updated to allow players share unlocked achievements with captions, see a list of friends who have unlocked specific achievements, and an updated achievements Snap landing page. New SmartGlass features lets users to view a list of their top games, as well as a list of friend’s most popular games.

The October update introduces DLNA support, opening the ability to stream videos to the console via a computer, including MKV files. Users will also be able use their smartphone to control the console, TV, cable or satellite box with the SmartGlass’ Universal Remote Control function.

With the updated Devices & Accessories page, accessories can be more easily assigned to specific players and the new Find my Controller feature helps locate or identify a controller by making it vibrate. Users can also now hide games and apps in the “Ready to install” list under My Games and Apps.

To improve password recovery, Microsoft will prompt account holders later this month to provide an alternate email address or phone number to use in case a password reset is required. More information is available on the Xbox Support site.