How to send friend requests on Xbox

As part of an ongoing effort to enhance social interaction on their platform,͏ Xbox͏ a͏nnounced today, via an X post, that they are rein͏troducing friend requests. Curr͏entl͏y being tested with X͏box Insiders, this update w͏ill͏ ͏al͏low players to send, ac͏cept,͏ ͏and dele͏te friend ͏reque͏sts—going be͏yond the tr͏aditional "follo͏w" mo͏del many gam͏e͏rs are familiar with. ͏

The full rollout͏ is͏ ex͏pec͏ted later͏ th͏is year, w͏ith e͏x͏isting mutu͏al frie͏nds being ͏updated ͏automatic͏a͏lly.͏ T͏his means you͏ w͏il͏l remain friends with peopl͏e who had added y͏ou pr͏ev͏iously and conti͏nue͏ follow͏ing anyone ͏wh͏o ha͏dn'͏t. For p͏layers ͏wh͏o are part of the Xb͏ox Insider Program, this ͏f͏eature is already available for testing. Le͏t͏’s break down͏ how ͏it wor͏ks ͏and what you ͏need to ͏know.

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How to send, accept, and delete friend requests on Xbox

1) Sending a friend request

Sending a friend request will soon become a more streamlined process on Xbox. Instead of just following a player, you’ll now be able to actively request to be their friend. Here’s a step-by-step guide:

• Navigate to the profile of the player you want to add as a friend by searching their gamer tag.
• You will see an option to "Add Friend" in addition to the "Follow" option.
• Once sent, the player will receive a notification asking to confirm or decline the friend request.

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2) Accepting friend requests

When someone sends you a friend request, Xbox makes it easy to manage these connections:

• Go to your notifications panel to view incoming friend requests.
• You’ll have the option to accept or decline the request.
• Once accepted, you both become Xbox friends, unlocking shared activities and interactions in games, parties, and messages.

This brings back the personal touch of actively forming gaming friendships, something that has been missing since Xbox adopted the follower model.

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3) Deleting Friends

If you ever need to remove someone from your friend list, Xbox’s updated system provides a simple process:

• Open your friends list on your profile.
• Select the player you wish to remove.
• Choose the "Remove Friend" option, and they will no longer appear in your friends list.

Unlike with followers, deleting a friend will also stop mutual connections, making this a more decisive way to manage your Xbox relationships.

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The transition from followers to friends

The new Xbox social section (Image via Xbox)

One of the most exciting parts of this update is how it will automatically adjust your existing relationships. All of your current mutual friends—those who followed you and whom you followed back—will remain on your friends list. However, for those one-sided follow relationships, nothing changes: you’ll continue following them without officially being "friends."

This change will bring more clarity and distinction to how players engage socially on Xbox, making it easier to manage personal connections.

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Full rollout coming soon

As Xbox tests this feature with Insiders, the broader community can expect more updates throughout the year. The addition of friend requests signals a move towards a more interactive and user-friendly social experience, allowing players to manage friendships more personally.