Future Xbox Update Will Let Players Mute Startup Sounds

A new update has launched, revealing that the ability to mute the system's startup will be coming in the future to Xbox consoles. While not the most momentous update, it adds one more layer of customization to how the console works, improving Xbox quality of life and likely making players happy.

For many gamers, Xbox users included, memories of the startup sound of consoles are likely very strong, but not everyone has enjoyed them. Many players have likely experienced the trouble of disturbing others with loud console startup sounds, and some have even noted being startled by console startup noises themselves.

This update is available now for Xbox Insider users who download the latest Alpha build, 2210.220919-2200. In the update notes for the release, Xbox explains that those users can now choose to shut off the startup sounds on their Xbox completely by navigating to Settings, General, Volume and Audio Output, and then Additional Options. It should be a helpful feature for anyone who's trying to be quiet or just doesn't want to hear the startup sound after booting up the console for months or years.

Unfortunately for general Xbox Series X/S owners, this update is not yet available for the general public. The Xbox Insider program allows Xbox to push updates to a smaller group of users to determine if there are any significant bugs, and to listen to user feedback, before launching the update for everyone. It should be helpful in preventing major issues from coming to the Xbox Series X/S OS and impacting the playerbase at large, but it does mean waiting a while for the Alpha updates to make it to the stable Xbox operating system.

In addition to the ability to mute the startup sound, the Alpha build is also adding some other functionality. Players will be able to more effectively filter their games, with the ability to use multiple filters to narrow down the selection further. Xbox users can also choose whether to utilize a Variable Refresh Rate, with the ability to keep it entirely on or off, or to set it to only turning on while playing a game. The update has also fixed some issues with accessories not pairing correctly, and the game's library behaving in abnormal ways, like the game library loading continuously until the console was rebooted.

Thankfully, unless something goes significantly awry with the Alpha launch, users shouldn't have to wait all too long to see these features come to Xbox consoles at large.