Xbox One May system update rolling out today. Here’s what’s new

Microsoft's May update for Xbox One has begun rolling out, and with it comes all sorts of a new functionality.

"Thanks to your continued feedback, a new month means we get to deliver a new set of fan-requested features on Xbox One. We’re streamlining your gaming experiences even more this time around, whether you’re looking for an easier way to power up the console or connect with distant friends in real time through voice messaging," Larry 'Major Nelson' Hryb wrote.

The highlight of this month's update, of course, is the improved voice messaging system which now allows you to send and receive voice messages from the Xbox One messages app. This was the most requested feature from fans, and now you are able to record audio to send to your friends, even if it's between Xbox 360 and Xbox One.

Other features include the ability to power your Xbox One on or off using the SmartGlass app, improvements to dedicated servers for Party Chat, and changes made to the initial Xbox One setup to allow you to select your preferred power mode.

Check out the full list of improvements, as detailed by Microsoft:

• Voice Messages – Starting today, you can now send and receive voice messages from the Xbox One messages app. Quickly and easily record audio to send to your friends or others through your snapped messages app, accessed through a simple quick double tap of the Xbox button. Additionally, voice messages can be exchanged between Xbox 360 and Xbox One consoles.
  
• Power On/Off from Xbox One SmartGlass – The Xbox One SmartGlass app for Windows, Windows Phone, iOS and Android are being updated to let you power your Xbox One on and off when your devices are on the same home network as your console.
  
• User Selectable Power Mode – We are also altering the initial setup experience on Xbox One worldwide to enable you to select your preferred power mode. Instant-on enables you to use the “Xbox on” voice command and receive background updates to console, game and app updates. Energy-saving mode is a low power state that requires you to press the Xbox button on your console to start up your Xbox One.
  
• Dedicated Servers for Party Chat – Back in March, we enabled dedicated chat relay servers for Xbox One preview members to solve NAT traversal issues that prevented some people from being able to use party chat. Over the coming weeks, we will start to expand the availability of the party chat relay services beyond preview members to a broader audience as we continue to fine tune the feature and scale out the servers needed to support party chat relay services.