Discord, a popular platform that lets users chat by text, video, and voice, has announced new features to improve user safety and experience. These features are aimed to make the app a safer experience, especially for teenagers, the company says in a press statement on 20 October.
A new initiative, teen safety assist, aims to protect teenagers through proactive filters and alerts which will be default-enabled for them. For this, it has introduced two features. First, when a teen receives a message for the first time, Discord will detect if a safety alert should be sent to them. The safety alert will encourage them to double-check if they want to reply and provide links to block the user or check out more safety tips. Second, the platform will automatically blur media that may be sensitive in direct and group messages.
It has also introduced a new warning system to help keep a check if users break rules and ensure they know exactly how they broke them, giving them a chance to reflect and change. Users who break the rules will receive an in-app message that will give the user a warning or a violation, based on the severity of the event and inform them if Discord has taken action. Users will be guided to a page with more details about the action and information about specific Discord policy or community guidelines that were violated.
These new safety features will be rolled out around the world over the next few weeks. More features for the teen safety assist initiative will also be released in 2024.
Discord has also made significant improvements to its overall experience. It has reduced the time it takes to open the app by 55% on Android and 43% on iOS. It downloads less data when launching and syncs new messages in the background. Furthermore, it has made it easier to select multiple pictures and videos to share at once (up to 25MB for all users). They appear in an organised grid. There is also the Remix feature, which allows Discord users to quickly edit, design and share photos with their friends, the statement explains.
The platform is also adding new perks for Nitro subscribers, which is Discord's paid membership service. Users can now customise app icons using 19 fresh new styles, including tactical, pastel, prismatic waves and galactic chrome. Nitro users can also get early access to new features.
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