If you’ve ever stayed up way too late playing games and watching videos with people in Voice…well, you’re probably about to again. Activities are a way to enjoy shared experiences with friends, such as games and media, on Discord itself.
What this article covers:
How do I start an Activity?
On Desktop/Browser
1. Navigate to your intended server and join a voice channel, or start a voice call in a direct message (DM) or group chat.
2. To start an Activity, all you need to do is press on the Activity Launcher rocket ship icon.
The Activity Rocket ship icon appears on the bottom left-hand side, or the one that appears when in focused view, while in a voice channel.
While in a DM or group chat the Activity Launcher rocket ship icon appears while the DM or group chat call is open.
3. Select the Activity you want to play from the Activity Shelf menu. You will need to provide authorization if you’ve never played your chosen Activity before.
4. (Optional) Have your friends join the Activity. To play, they need to be in the same voice channel as you and join the Activity you started. Each person joining the game will need to provide authorization if they’ve never played the chosen Activity before.
To start an Activity in a server text channel
1. Press on the plus [] icon on the left side of the chat bar and select Start Activity.
2. Select the Activity you want to play from the Activity Shelf menu. You will need to provide authorization if you’ve never played your chosen Activity before.
3. (Optional) Have your friends join the Activity. For Activities launched in text channels, the Activity will appear in the chat. Other users can participate by selecting Join, but they will need to be in the same voice channel or DM as you and join the activity you started. Each person joining the game will need to provide authorization if they’ve never played the chosen Activity before.
On Mobile
To start an Activity in a Voice Call
1. Navigate to your intended server and join a voice channel, or start a voice call in a DM or group chat.
2. To start an Activity, all you need to do is press on the Activity Launcher rocket ship icon.
The Activity Rocket ship icon appears on the bottom left-hand side, or the one that appears when in focused view, while in a voice channel.
While in a DM or group chat the Activity Launcher rocket ship icon appears while the DM or group chat call is open.
3. Select the Activity you want to play from the Activity Shelf menu. You will need to provide authorization if you’ve never played your chosen Activity before.
4. (Optional) Have your friends join the Activity. To play, they need to be in the same Voice Channel as you and join the Activity you started. Each person joining the game will need to provide authorization if they’ve never played the chosen Activity before.
To start an Activity in a server text channel
1. Navigate to a channel where you would like to launch the Activity, and select the shapes icon to the left of the chat bar.
2. Then, select the Activity you would like to launch.
3. Once selected, the Activity will appear in the chat. Other users can choose to participate by pressing Join.
My mobile device gets really warm while playing Activities. How do I fix it?
If your mobile device becomes warm to the touch while you’re playing an Activity, we recommend that you try the following:
- If you have our picture-in-picture feature engaged while playing an Activity, please minimize/close the picture-in-picture feature and keep the Activity in focus.
- If you have your Video enabled while playing an Activity, please disable your mobile device camera by pressing on the Video camera icon and keep the Activity in focus.
- If you have any apps opened in the background, please close out those apps.
Still experiencing issues? Please reach out to our Support team here.
Can I invite others to join my Activity?
Of course! There are a few ways you can invite others to join your Activity.
Once you’ve started an Activity in a voice channel, in the desktop/browser app you can right-click on the voice channel in the channel list and select Invite to Activity. You can copy the invite link and send that through a DM or in a text channel or text chat to invite others to the Activity.
Fellow server members can also simply join a voice channel with an ongoing Activity and press or tap the Join Activity button on the Activity tile in the focused voice channel view.
Desktop/Browser App
Mobile App
If you have “Display current activity as a status message” toggled on in your user settings, then friends who can join your current Voice Channel can also join your Activity by viewing your status or your profile.
Desktop/Browser App
Mobile App
How do I end or change an Activity?
To leave an Activity, select the Activity exit icon in the Voice Channel controls. Leaving the Voice Channel will also do the trick!
Desktop/Browser App
Mobile App
If you want to switch to another Activity, you can just select another Activity from the Shelf by pressing the Activity rocket ship icon. Joining a new Activity will automatically remove you from the old Activity, so you can do this while you’re still in an Activity.
Desktop/Browser App
Mobile App
Can I restrict access to Activities in my server?
Admins can revoke the ability to use Activities in their server through the Use Activities permission. This can be done by role, channel, or channel category. This permission is granted to everyone by default. When it is revoked, users in the selected role, channel, or category will lose the ability to start new Activities or join existing ones.
- User role permissions can be found under Server Settings > Roles > Permissions > Voice Channel Permissions > Use Activities.
- Channel and channel category permissions can be found by right-clicking the channel or the category. Then go to Edit > Permissions > Voice Channel Permissions > Use Activities.
Other (Less) Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can I play in my preferred language?
Activities are currently only available in English. Thank you for your patience!
Q: When will developers be able to integrate with Activities? (or When will the ActivitiesSDK be released?)
We have no updates to share with developers regarding developer access to activities right now, but we love your enthusiasm! Sign up here to learn when we’ll have more to share.