Some Robloxians 13 and older can now access Roblox voice chat as part of a beta test on the massive sandbox gaming platform that uses users’ phone numbers for verification purposes, a Roblox spokesperson confirmed to PCGamesN. If implemented, it would provide an alternative form of age verification to the platform’s current requirement that users provide an identity photo to confirm their age.
The Roblox spokesperson shared the following via email with PCGamesN:
“At Roblox, we believe the metaverse is for everyone, and our communication capabilities we create should be for everyone. As part of this effort, Spatial Voice is an important rollout to our long-term vision for the future of communications. With industry-leading measures (ID verification, moderation, etc.), specific members of our community can use Spatial Voice to securely connect with others on Roblox.
“Safety on Roblox is at the heart of everything we do. We maintain many systems to keep our users safe and work tirelessly to build a platform that is safe, civil and welcoming to all. That includes ID verification we launched last year and allows us to offer select 13+ users the opportunity to try Spatial Voice in beta. We started with ID verification, but it was always our intention to expand to additional ways to verify identity in the future. Today, Spatial Voice ID requires authentication — a process that includes providing a government-issued ID and a selfie.”
“Since we announced the first test of this feature, we’ve slowly expanded the pool of people who can access it. It’s a deliberate process and it has given us insight into how we can scale and expand it with new options such as phone authentication, while maintaining our high security standards.”
Roblox debuted voice chat in November 2021. It is only available to users 13 and older, and the platform requires users to verify their age through a photo of some form of identification. However, this process can present a significant barrier to people who do not have such identification or simply do not have the desire to participate in the upload process. Without Roblox voice chat functionality, older players are turning to Discord and other services.
Eliminating the need to provide a photographic image can also allow Roblox users to spend more time on the platform, as they no longer have to switch between third-party services to communicate with each other. In recent years, Roblox has gained traction with older users and has managed to retain users who have grown up with the platform. This changing demographic also means it’s essential for Roblox to continue to find ways to engage its older player base, with wider access to voice chat being an example of such a move.
Enabling more voice chat access could provide more capabilities that would support Roblox’s push into the metaverse. It could foster a greater sense of community among players who have primarily relied on in-game text chat and give game makers more opportunities to develop games that take advantage of vocal interactions. This can include among us-esque games, role-playing games, and shooting games that use proximity chat features. While there doesn’t seem to be a surefire way to access the beta, some people report receiving notifications when they enter chat-enabled games.
You can see if you have access to the voice chat functionality by going to ‘settings’. If the feature is visible, you can toggle the button to enable it. Enabling this will lead to a pop-up screen asking the user to give Roblox permission to collect, use, and store voice recordings for security and moderation. By checking the required box and pressing ‘Enable’, the player can access voice chat in all games that allow it. Like many other Roblox beta features, such as the new ‘trade’ button on the item reseller list, the process will undergo rigorous testing and feedback. It will not be available to all users unless implemented.
While you wait for your chance to join Roblox voice chat without ID, check out our list of the best Roblox games in 2022. And don’t forget to pick up some free avatar gear with our Roblox promo code list for August and score new tunes with our Roblox music codes for August. Don’t you just love the sound of that?
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