You may think you know everything there is to know about your Xbox One. After all, you’ve been playing for years, have conquered all the best games, and thanks to your Xbox One headset, you’ve met experienced players from all over the world that have helped you unlock secrets you thought no one knew.
But trust us, there’s more to your Xbox than you know. Today we’ve uncovered some of the most well-kept secrets related to Xbox One that only experts know about. That is, until today.
1. You Don’t Have to Buy a New Console to Expand Storage Space
One of the biggest downfalls about having an Xbox One is that there’s currently no easy (if even possible) way to switch out the internal hard drive and make room for more storage. This is especially frustrating for those that have growing digital libraries and diminishing hard drive space.
That said, your Xbox One is compatible with plenty of external hard drives that make creating more storage space a cinch. For a list of some of the best external hard drives for Xbox One, check here.
2. Your Smartphone Doubles as a Controller
And so does your tablet! Navigating through your controller to text your buddy a message is a pain. And gaming is supposed to be relaxing, not stress-inducing.
Luckily, there’s a simple solution to this problem. Simply download the Xbox One SmartGlass app and connect your console to your mobile device.
From there, you’ll be able to:
- Navigate your Xbox One with your device’s keyboard and touch functionality
- Browse the web on your TV with your mobile device
- Enhance the games you’re playing with SmartGlass companions
- Access faster connections and increase performance
- Track achievements, get game help, message friends, and even watch DVR clips
- Search and pin content to play on your Xbox One console
All you have to do after downloading the app is make sure your device and console are on the same Wi-Fi network. It’s as simple as that.
3. Change Your Background
Are you tired of the same old Xbox One background on your home screen? Then change it! Just go to your console settings, select the all settings tab, and then click on personalization and pick select my color and background.
Once there, you can do many things:
- Choose from the available background images
- Use achievement art as a background
- Upload a custom image from a USB drive
- Select a screenshot from your favorite game
This freedom allows you to personalize your console in a way you probably never knew existed.
4. Play Saved Games on Any Xbox One
Any time you save your progress on your Xbox One game, the console does two things: saves your progress and makes a copy of the save file, which is automatically sent to the Xbox cloud storage.
This means that the next time you’re at your friend’s house using their console, you can easily access all your latest saves instantly. All you have to do is input your Xbox One sign in information and access your saved games.
5. Play as an Avatar or a Human
The avatar editor was recently updated to give you a more life-like and expressive look. You can create avatars that are a complete likeness to you, or even take on an entirely new identity if you want. But the truth is, not everyone is down for looking like a fake version of themselves.
Because of this, Xbox One makes it possible for you to upload a custom image of yourself from your external storage and replace your avatar with it. You can then look like the real you any time you want.
And there you have it! 5 exclusive secrets you now know you can do with your Xbox One to make your gaming experience that much better.
