
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.
Vita & PSTV (Vita TV) should not be forgotten! Please bring PS5 Remote Play capabilities to the PS Vita and PSTV.
Thanks!
Changes to the UI of messages?….damn here we go again.By the comments it looks like y’all did a big pile of mess as usual,waiting for the night to see how big of a mess it is.
Your Update has broken the UI. I have seen several reports of people not being able to load their friends lists and also not being able to even create or see parties in the UI. I can’t play with my friends or talk to them. It has just been a horrible experience with me overall with PlayStation
I’m sorry but this update is a step backwards. Aside from the issues others are experiencing that I am too like the friends list not loading and not being able to create a party without error…
Let me understand this…we can no longer create parties on the fly or join our friends parties? We have to use a premade group from messages or create a new group and only they can join? That is so limiting..who would ever think this a good idea.
The previous system had way more choice and control. You could create a party ..make it private or public on the fly…invite or kick whoever you want if u were party leader…and in the case of a public parties people could join on the fly.
I don’t play with a set group of ppl everyday…it’s usually me and a few friends who hangout in a pub party and if more friends wanted to come hang out and join they could. We treat parties like a bar..anyone’s welcome to come hangout and if anyone got outta line…we’d boot them. Simple as that.
Now we can’t do that anymore. I’m sorry…but this degrades the experience. Please give us back the ability to create parties like we used to. There was no reason to fix or improve what was perfectly fine and working before.
please bring my privacy back i wanna talk to my friends without someone annoying joining my parties please bring back the privacy settings
I can’t access my friends list, if i go to someone’s profile to add them to party it makes a new one like please fix this sony i wanna play with my friends
I have 2 consoles and both have an error in the friends list after this update.
Tried making a party in a community and it doesn’t work. Didn’t say anything about that feature being removed, so now I can’t play in a community party with people.
Had soooo many issues with this already,just trying to get into a party took nearly an hour,wouldnt let me see my friends list…kept freezing and not loading screens…..i mean come on…. we pay for a service, surely it should work properly…i get that its brand new but really.
Looks like to me it just fuct up my friends list
Same, it fixed itself later on tho.