Summer is here which means sunshine, cookouts and of course, gaming with friends after a long day outside. Team Xbox has been busy cooking up new features for the July 2019 Xbox Update, which begins rolling out today. This update includes a new way to interact with Xbox Game Pass, additional countries for the Xbox Skill for Alexa, and new Xbox Skill for Alexa voice commands. Here's a rundown of what's new:

New features for Xbox Game Pass

Xbox Game Pass offers a curated library of over 100 high-quality games on PC and console, available to download and play at full fidelity for one low-monthly price. Today, we're rolling a new way to manage your Xbox Game Pass collection.

• Play later - Play later enables you to make a list of games from the Xbox Game Pass catalog for you to come back to on your time, making it even easier to find your next game. Manage your collection from your Xbox console or the Game Pass mobile app and download your games when you're ready.

Xbox Skill for Alexa - More countries and new voice commands

Last fall, we expanded voice control support by introducing the Xbox Skill for Alexa, which enables you to navigate and interact with Xbox One using voice commands through your Alexa-enabled devices. Today we are adding more supported countries and new Alexa voice commands to see what's happening on Xbox Game Pass and check in with your Xbox Live friends.

• More countries - We heard our fans around the world loud and clear that they wanted Xbox Skill for Alexa support in their country. Today, we are excited to be adding support for customers in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, and Spain. Click here to learn how to set up the Xbox Skill for Alexa.
• New Alexa voice commands for Xbox Game Pass and more - Have you always wanted to be able to use your voice to find out the latest games in Xbox Game Pass? Good news, so have we! The July 2019 Xbox Update introduces the ability to find out what's new to Xbox Game Pass, what the popular games are, what's leaving the catalog, and more; simply by asking Alexa. Try saying, 'Alexa, ask Xbox what's new on Game Pass?'Want to stay up-to-date with what your friends are doing on Xbox? You can ask Alexa who's online, what your friends are playing, and more. Try saying, 'Alexa, ask Xbox what are my friends playing?'

  Finally, you are now able to start pairing your controller with your Xbox from the convenience of your couch. Just say, 'Alexa, ask Xbox to pair my controller.' to put your console into pairing mode!

  For a full list of what you can say, check out this link.

These updates are based on feedback from our Xbox Insiders who have helped to shape these features. A huge thank you to all our Xbox Insiders for your valuable input and continued participation. If you'd like to help define the future of Xbox and get access to early features, download the Xbox Insider Hub app on your Xbox One or Windows 10 PC today and share your ideas at the Xbox Ideas Hub. You can also visit the Xbox Insider Blog here for the latest release notes and to learn more. Enjoy the July Update and happy gaming!