The Xbox One Just Learned A Few New Tricks

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Another month, another itty-bitty update to the Xbox One.

The Xbox One’s July update doesn’t bring any earth shattering features (like, say, a version of Hulu that doesn’t break in the last two minutes of literally every show I try to watch), but it does pack a few new tricks you might not notice on your own.

Here’s the new stuff, which should be rolling out right about now:

  • The Achievements screen gets “Snap Mode”: Sick of constantly switching back and forth to check what achievement you just unlocked? The Achievements screen is now snappable
  • Double-tap to snap: You can now snap an app without using the Kinect or going back to the homescreen first. When playing a game, double tap the Xbox button; this will bring up a list of snappable apps. (You can also double-tap the xbox button at any time to switch between which snapped app you’re focused on — you’ve actually been able to do that for a while, but Microsoft didn’t really mention it previously.)
  • You can now manually select what language (or, for English speakers, which accent) Kinect should listen for. This was previously determined by geolocation.
  • You can now “Like” game DVR clips, if that’s your thing.

Be on the lookout for news about the August update; if past traditions hold true, Microsoft should let loose a few details on that one in the next week or two.