Xbox April update targets new search experience and power options

The April Xbox update will be rolling out to all Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One consoles soon, offering up a fresh console search experience and additional power-saving options.

This month, we'll be able to search for games, movies, and more with the new console search experience, and customise our consoles' active hours, thanks to the April Xbox update. It'll be rolling out to all Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One consoles soon.

April update rolls out for Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One soon

The refreshed Xbox search experience affects the console search page, which will now display gallery-style results when you search for games, movies, apps, and more. You'll find the search button (magnifying glass) at the top of the dashboard or by pressing Y on your controller anywhere within the console UI. When searching, you'll have the option to cycle through visible filter categories with RB/LB, and even be able to 'Search on YouTube' from within the Movies & TV tab.

As for the additional power options, the April Xbox update gives us the ability to select the console's active hours when we choose the Sleep option. Of course, choosing to fully shut down the console will conserve the most energy, as it'll enable the carbon-aware updates that were introduced in February, but if you'd prefer to have your console ready for action during certain times, then the Sleep option might be the next best thing.

When in Sleep mode, Microsoft says that your console will only draw around 0.5 watts of power compared to the 10-15 watts it requires when it's active. The latest update now allows you to configure its active hours, which is set to 'always active' as the default option. By selecting the hours you're most likely to be away from the console, your Xbox will shut down, and then re-enter its active Sleep mode during the rest of the day. You can find the settings within the Power Options menu.

What do you think about the latest round of improvements? Drop down below and let us know!

Xbox Series X|S Xbox One

Written by Tom West

Tom has been playing video games since he was old enough to hold a controller, experimenting with systems like the Nintendo 64 and Playstation until he eventually fell in love with the Xbox 360. With a passion for the platform, he decided to make a career out of it, and now happily spends his days writing about that which he loves. If he’s not achievement hunting, you’ll likely find him somewhere in The Elder Scrolls Online.