Xbox One to Get 'Do Not Disturb' Feature

Some Xbox One players can deal well with distractions, but for those who can't, Microsoft is rolling out a new feature. The new Do Not Disturb mode is currently out for Xbox One testers, and it provides a handy way to temporarily block notifications form intruding into one's gaming session.

The new feature is part of the updates Microsoft is getting ready to launch this month, as Xbox Insiders in the Alpha ring get the first look at some of the new features the Xbox team has prepared for 2018.

For players who want to devote their attention to the game they're currently playing, Microsoft is now testing a new "Do Not Disturb" online status, as they announced on a news post on Monday, Jan. 8.

This new status is not just a marker as it also blocks out popups while letting players' Xbox friends know that someone's being serious about their game and will be temporarily unreachable.

Aside from blocking notifications, this status will also block friends from sending party chat invites or messages to the player, as The Verge points out.

This is a welcome feature from the Xbox team, but that's not all they have on the menu for this month's batch of updates. The team has also added a "Next Achievements" feature in the sidebar guide, which shows a handy list of in-game achievements that a player is close to unlocking.

Apart from players having the ability to sort by achievements they are closest to unlocking across their library of games, users can also use the guide to sort achievements by rarity and Gamerscore as well.

The Xbox team has also added a handy customization feature that can let players switch their themes depending on the time of day. It's a nifty way to set a light theme for the day and have it change to a dark theme at night or even vice versa.