July's Xbox One update rolls out today with FastStart and Groups

By Asher Madan
last updated

That's quite a major update.

Every month or so, Microsoft releases a new update for all Xbox One owners which brings with it a number of features. July is no different because "FastStart", "Groups", and much more were added. Xbox Wire shared the news on Twitter. You can read about all the major changes below.

  • FastStart: The feature was announced at E3 2018, and allows you to jump into your games twice as fast after downloading just a fraction of it. According to the company, FastStart works by identifying which files are needed to begin playing and prioritizes their download.
  • Groups: Groups are like folders. You can create multiple collections of content made up of anything from within "My games & apps". This feature was announced many months ago but it's finally available to everyone.
  • Search: Searching for content is now even easier. Now pressing the "Y" button anywhere in the dashboard and begin searching.
  • Mixer Share Controller: The Xbox Team made it easier to use "Share Controller" through the website and touch devices.
  • Broadcasting: Mixer streamers can now go full screen with their webcam while broadcasting. Apart from that, the image quality of broadcasts has also been improved.

It's great to see Microsoft aggressively adding community-requested features. Hopefully this trend will continue in the future. We've been testing out the latest update for a few hours now and the the added features help. Groups is particularly useful in organizing hundreds of games.

The Xbox One X is currently available for $499 or equivalent depending on your region.

Keep an eye on WindowsCentral.com/Gaming for all the latest in Xbox and Windows 10 gaming, accessories, news, and reviews!

Asher Madan
Asher Madan

Asher Madan handles gaming news for Windows Central. Before joining Windows Central in 2017, Asher worked for a number of different gaming outlets. He has a background in medical science and is passionate about all forms of entertainment, cooking, and antiquing.

12 Comments
  • So the One X is available for preorder? I hope you will have a hands on video for the new features in this update
  • My "My Games and Apps" does not look like this and there is no group options. I have made sure I have the July 2018 update. I am a member of Gold and Game Pass, but that section at the bottom below the separator doesn't exist on my Xbox One.
  • You have to restart the console. I was having the same issue until I restarted it twice.
  • I updated and see the Groups option, but I don't have the separate Game Pass and Gold sections on the bottom either, and I'm subscribed to both.
  • Same here, no game pass / gold tab at bottom
  • I think that's just for Insiders.
  • Looks good, but does anyone know what the "alerts" button on the guide next to the store button is for?
  • Tells you various things (I realise you would have guessed that), for example, when subscriptions expire.
  • Right, but why not put that in the already existing notifications area?
  • Possibly because there are dollars attached to this notification. It generates them money. Not sure though.
  • A version number in the article would be helpful.
  • Universal Search, THANK YOU!