Some Robloxians aged 13 and older can now access Roblox voice chat as part of a beta test in the massive sandbox game platform that draws on 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 a photograph of identification to confirm their ages.
The Roblox spokesperson shared the following via email with PCGamesN:
“At Roblox, we believe that the metaverse is for everyone, and that our communication capabilities we create must be for everyone too. As part of this effort, Spatial Voice is an important rollout towards our long-term vision for the future of communication. With industry-leading measures (ID verification, moderation, etc.), specific members of our community can use Spatial Voice to safely connect with others on Roblox.
“Safety on Roblox is at the core of everything we do. We maintain many systems to keep our users safe and secure and work tirelessly to build a platform that is safe, civil and welcoming for all. That includes ID verification which we launched last year and allows us to offer select 13+ users the option 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 requires ID verification – a process that includes providing a government issued ID and a selfie.”
“Since we announced the first test of this feature, we’ve been slowly expanding the group of people with access to it. It’s a deliberate process, and through it we’ve gained insights about how to scale it and expand with new options like phone verification while maintaining our high safety standards.”
Roblox debuted voice chat in November 2021. It’s only available to users ages 13 and older, and the platform requires users to verify their ages via a photograph of some form of identification. However, this process can provide a significant barrier for people who don’t have such an identification or simply don’t have the desire to engage in the upload process. Without Roblox voice chat functionality, older players turn to Discord and other services.
Eliminating the need to provide a photographic image could also allow Roblox users to spend more time on the platform as they no longer need to switch between third-party services to communicate with one another. Over the past few years, Roblox has gained traction among older users and managed to retain users who grew 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 broader access to voice chat being an example of such a move.
Enabling greater access to voice chat could provide more opportunities that would support Roblox’s push into the metaverse. It could foster a greater sense of community among players who have been mainly dependent on in-game text chat and provide greater opportunities for game creators to develop games that benefit from vocal interactions. These might include Among Us-style games, role-playing games, and shooting games that use proximity chat features. While there appears to be no sure-fire way to access the beta, some people report receiving notifications as they enter games with chat functionality.
You can find out whether you can access voice chat functionality by going to ‘settings.’ If the feature is visible, you can switch the button to enable it. Enabling it will then lead to a pop-up screen, prompting the user to allow Roblox to collect, use, and store voice recordings for safety and moderation. By checking the required box and pressing ‘Enable,’ the player will have access to voice chat in all games that allow it. Like many Roblox beta features, such as the new ‘trade’ button on the item reseller list, the process will undergo rigorous testing and feedback. It won’t be available to all users unless implemented.
As you’re waiting for your opportunity to join Roblox voice chat without an 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 some new tunes with our Roblox music codes for August. Don’t you just love the sound of that?