Includes changes to Party and Messages features, new avatars, updated parental controls and more.
UPDATE: Following this update, users are seeing a notification about Party Safety and that voice chats in parties may be recorded. Voice chat recording for moderation is a feature that will be available on PS5 when it launches, and will enable users to record their voice chats on PS5 and submit them for moderation review. The pop up you’re seeing on PS4 right now is to let you know that when you participate in a chat with a PS5 user (post-launch), they may submit those recordings from their PS5 console to SIE.
Our latest system software update for PlayStation 4, version 8.00, is launching today globally. This update includes changes to the existing Party and Messages features, new avatars, updated parental controls and more.
Here are some of the key features in this update:
Updates to Party and Messages
Following this update, Party and Messages will be more tightly linked together and you will see changes to the UI. Both apps will now use the same ‘Groups’ of players for Party voice chats and message exchanges, instead of having different groups setup across the two apps. So now you can start a Party chat or send a message to the group you’ve previously chatted with across PS4, as well as PS5 when it launches.
New Avatars
We’re expanding the collection of pre-set avatars for players to showcase on their Profile. An array of new avatars from your favorite games will be available, including Bloodborne, Journey, Ghost of Tsushima, God of War, The Last of Us Part II, The Last of Us Remastered, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End and many more.
Mute all Mics from Quick Menu
We’ve added an option to “Mute all Microphones” in the Quick Menu, so you can easily mute your mics while gaming.
Simplified and more flexible Parental Controls
Under Parental Controls, we’re combining the ‘Communicating with Other Players’ and ‘Viewing Content Created by other Players’ into one setting – ‘Communication and User Generated Content’- to cover both areas of communication and UGC sharing. This offers a simpler setting that’s easier for parents to understand and apply to their children.
In addition, children can send a request to their parents to use communications features in specific games. When a child sends this request, the parent will receive an email notification and can choose to make an exception for that game and allow the child to use its communications and UGC features. This will provide more flexibility to both parents and children.
Enhanced 2-Step Verification
The 2-Step Verification (2SV) feature on PS4 will be enhanced to support third party authenticator apps as an option during the activation flow and 2SV sign-in across PS4, mobile and web.
Removal of Event Creation and Private Community Creation
After 8.00, you will no longer be able to create Events or access existing Events created by other users.
We’re also removing the ability to create private Communities under the Community app on PS4. If you already have existing private Communities, you can continue to access them.
Updates to Remote Play App on Mobile and PC
At the same time as 8.00, the existing PS4 Remote Play app on mobile (iOS/Android), Windows PC and Mac, will change its name to PS Remote Play, and the option to connect to PS5 will be added. You’ll need to sign in to PSN from your PS5 to be able to access the feature, so sit tight until PS5 launches this November!
As a reminder, a PS4 system with a wired connection via a LAN cable is recommended to download the update.
The party’s were very good until this update happened. Some of this stuff in this update is good but the party’s suck now. You used to be able to invite people more than once but that’s gone. The only bad thing about this is the party’s because it used to look good but now it’s just trash.
Where is the private party option? Why would you get ride of it? It makes no sense. Please put it back.
If this is gonna how it’s gonna be from now on I don’t think I want a ps5. Revert update, not using party chat until.
I am in this boat too. Not looking at a PS5 after this update.
So can I no longer just start a party with only myself in it?
Not sure why these changes to party were made, kinda think the if it’s not broke, dont fix it rules apply. In a clan and we would usually sit with a few chat parties and dip in and out, now I have to get invited each time and cant see what chats we are in, how do u get invited? Set up ur own party and invite someone. Then wait, so now getting a lot of spam notifications setting these up which are distracting in game. New mute makes no sense, I dont want ppl to hear me when I mute them. That is why they got muted, having me mute them, but them able to hear me could only ever be used to bully someone. Generally a thumbs down from me on this update and hope it gets fixed soon or will be looking at the next gen xbox (which I hadn’t even considered before this update)
THANK YOU. The muting system is utter nonsense and backwards. This has to be a mistake. What if i need to tell the host to kick the person out for being out of bounds or distracting. They’re gonna hear what im saying, inevitably causing feud in the parties. I also agree on how making the parties now is weird. It’s like they trying to wipe out the communities feature, since they discontinued the app.