XR-015: Managing Player Communication *

Version 1.3, 03/01/2025

Titles must not allow communication over the Xbox network when the user’s privacy settings do not allow it.

Titles meet this XR by retrieving data from Xbox network services. If the title uses its own services, it must check the user’s privacy permissions at the beginning of a session or when a new user joins the session. For user-initiated scenarios outside of sessions, titles meet this requirement by checking privacy prior to displaying the user’s data and before performing the action. The following permissions are available for titles to check:

Permission name	Description
CommunicateUsingText	Check whether the user can send text communications (e.g., text chat, message, etc.) or an invite to the target user.
CommunicateUsingVoice	Check whether the user can communicate using voice with the target user.

During the gameplay session, titles which offer communication between Xbox network and non-Xbox network players must offer the ability to mute any non-Xbox network players for the duration of the session.

Note

Refer to Privacy and permissions overview for details on how to check and resolve privacy and permissions issues in your title.

More Information

Communication Settings Overview

Players manage their communication through two client-facing settings:

Setting name	Description	Setting level
Others can communicate with voice, text, or invites	Manages all player communication	Everyone, Friends, Block
You can communicate outside Xbox with voice and text	Manges cross-network communication	Everyone, In-game Friends, Block

The selected setting level informs the player’s privacy permissions, including CommunicateUsingText and CommunicateUsingVoice.

Important

Others can communicate with voice, text, or invites impacts both Xbox network and cross-network communications, effectively functioning as a universal toggle. This can create scenarios in which it overrides the player’s cross-network communication setting, as seen below:

Others can communicate with voice, text, or invites	You can communicate outside Xbox with voice and text	Expected Behavior
Blocked	Blocked	All communication blocked
Blocked	In-Game Friends	All communication blocked
Blocked	Everyone	All communication blocked
Friends	Blocked	Xbox friends can communicate
Friends	In-Game Friends	Xbox friends and cross-network friends can communicate
Friends	Everyone	Xbox friends and all cross-network players can communicate
Everyone	Blocked	Xbox network players can communicate
Everyone	In-Game Friends	Xbox network players and cross-network friends can communicate
Everyone	Everyone	Xbox network players and all cross-network players can communicate

Checking Privileges

Prior to allowing any activity to occur, titles must also check the Xbox network for privileges, as stated in XR-045: Xbox network and Account Privileges.

Titles that support cross-network play and communication between Xbox and non-Xbox network players must check communication permissions prior to allowing communication between those players. Refer to XR-007: Cross-Network Play, Data Usage, and Companion App Interactions for more details and requirements for supporting cross-network play in titles.

Titles check communication settings for cross network players by using crossNetworkUsers which acts as a replacement for the XUID. Based on Xbox privacy settings, these users will return a result of “allowed” only when the user's Xbox permissions are set to allow communication with all cross network players. Titles which support a cross network friends list can check communication between cross network friends by using crossNetworkFriends as a replacement for the XUID. Based on Xbox privacy settings, crossNetworkUsers will return a result of “allowed” only when the user's Xbox permissions are set to allow communication with all cross network players while crossNetworkFriends will return ‘allowed’ when the user’s Xbox permissions are set to allow communication with all or cross network friends only.

Exemptions

Scenarios that are out-of-scope and not considered “player communication” include:

• Friend requests and clan/guild invites
• In-game emotes and player animations
• Automated notifications and feeds that mention another player (e.g., killfeeds and automated activity feeds)
• User notifications that are part of core gameplay features, if they do not invoke or require text or voice communications (e.g., in-game trades)

Implementation Guidance and Best Practices

Guidance for Invites

CommunicateUsingText should be leveraged to manage invite permissions.

• Invites are in-scope for cross-network communication settings and should be blocked based on the setting value.
• Invites are not limited to game sessions. In-game parties and other types of invites that directly facilitate shared sessions and player communications are also in-scope and should be blocked appropriately based on the user’s privacy settings.
• A restricted value on “Others can communicate with voice, text, or invites” blocks inbound invites, but does not block the user from sending outbound invites.

Blocking Game Experiences

Blocking game modes or experiences for users with restricted communication settings is not a preferred solution and less-restrictive means of respecting user settings should be used whenever feasible.

If player communication is fundamental to an experience and there’s no viable way to respect blocked communications settings while maintaining the integrity of the mode, blocking the mode may be approved via an exception, but must be clearly communicated in-game to impacted players.

If large portions of a game require player communication and are blocked for players with restricted settings, it should be communicated proactively via the Product Details Page (PDP) in the Store.

Other Guidance

• When two users interact in text and voice scenarios, the strictest setting between the two is applied. For example, if Player A has a blocked setting, but Player B does not, a deny value should be returned for both. This does not apply to invites.
• Muting another player restricts voice communication between them but does not impact text or invites. Blocking another player restricts voice and text communication between them and prevents the user from receiving invites from the blocked player.
• In large-scale/global chat scenarios, user-to-user permissions checks may be omitted, but the game must continue to check and respect each player’s block list and communication privileges. These checks may be performed at a regular cadence (e.g., hourly).

Certification Test Cases

015-01 User Communication

Configuration:

• Create a set of profiles with "Others can communicate with voice, text or invites" set to Everyone, Friends and Block.
• For titles that support communication outside of Xbox, create a set of profiles with "You can communicate outside of Xbox with voice & text" to Everyone, In-game friends and Block.

Test Steps

1. On Device 1, sign in to a profile that has been configured with the specific set of permissions per the Configuration.
2. On Device 2, sign in to a profile that has no communication restrictions.
3. On both devices, launch the title and attempt to communicate using text and voice in every location supported and attempt to send multiplayer game invites.
4. Repeat Steps 1-3 for all profiles from the Configuration step.

Expected Result

Titles must check the Xbox service for a user's privacy settings regarding privacy and online safety-related actions and must not transmit user data or allow communication over Xbox when the user's privacy & online safety settings do not allow it.

Pass Examples

1. The title prevents the user from communicating via voice and text over Xbox when that setting is blocked.
2. The title prevents the user from communicating via voice and text outside of Xbox when that setting is blocked.
3. The title prevents the user from receiving multiplayer game invites on Xbox when that setting is blocked.
4. When two users interact in text and voice scenarios, the strictest setting between the two is applied.

Fail Examples

1. The user is able to communicate via voice and text over Xbox when that setting is blocked.
2. The user is able to communicate via voice and text outside of Xbox when that setting is blocked.
3. The title allows the user to receive multiplayer game invites when that setting is blocked.
4. The title blocks access to experiences or game modes for users with restricted communication settings.
5. When two users interact in text and voice scenarios, the strictest setting between the two is not applied.

015-02 Muting Support

Test Steps

1. As user A, mute user B.
2. Have both users join an Xbox multiplayer session.
3. Attempt to send voice communication from user B to user A.
4. Ensure that user A is unable to receive any voice communication from user B.

Expected Result

User A must not be able to hear communication from user B.

Pass Examples

1. Voice communication from the muted user cannot be heard by the user who initiated the mute.

Fail Examples

1. Voice communication from the muted user can be heard by the user who initiated the mute.

015-03 Blocked Users

Test Steps

1. As user A, block user B.
2. Have both users join an Xbox multiplayer session.
3. Attempt to send voice and written communication from user B to user A.
4. Attempt to send a multiplayer game invite from user B to user A.
5. Ensure that user A is unable to receive any communication or multiplayer game invites from user B.

Expected Result

User A must not be able to hear or see communication from user B. User A must not receive multiplayer game invites from User B.

Pass Examples

1. Communication from the blocked user cannot be seen or heard by the user who initiated the block.
2. Multiplayer game invitations from the blocked user are not received by the user who initiated the block.

Fail Examples

1. Communication from the blocked user can be seen or heard by the user who initiated the block.
2. Multiplayer game invitations from the blocked user are received by the user who initiated the block.