You do not need to leave the channel you’re in to join a stream. There are a few ways to watch a stream but we’re gonna discuss the two quickest.
One is to use Item Chooser by pressing VO I and searching for the word “watch”.
Another way is finding the user who is currently streaming. To do this, you can VO Home to the beginning of the window and find the channel list with VO Right. Or if single letter Quicknav is on, press VO X for next list or VO Shift X for previous list (depending where you are in the window) and you’ll see the list of channels.
From there VO Right through that list, because each channel shows the users in it. When someone is streaming usually it will say “live” beside their name.
So find the user’s stream you want to join, then VO Space on that user. This brings up a mini area where you can do things like message the user, view their profile etc. So VO left until you see something that says “watch stream”, then VO space on it. You will then be able to hear the audio they are streaming.
Users in your active channel are also listed in the “user area” which is after the channel list.
Once you’re in, everything should sound great. . While in the stream you can control the volume of the stream, see which users are viewing the stream or join text chat.
Control Volume of the Stream
To control the volume, You can either use item chooser and start typing “control”, or press VO End then VO Left to find the “control volume” button. For this, make sure quick nav is off, and use your up and down arrows respectively to control the stream’s volume. Note it won’t speak the volume percentage so use your ears to adjust to your liking. This is useful for times where the stream is too loud or too quiet.
However if at any point the stream is making a crackling sound, that’s because the person’s audio is clipping. Simply let them know to turn down the audio in the app they are streaming from.
How to Join Text Chat
To join text chat, use item chooser and search for “show”, or press VO End, then VO left to get to the “show chat” button. A text field will open where you can type a message in the chat. Note that most times you’ll hear an audio notification when a chat message is sent and they’ll usually be auto read as well. Also be aware that the messages you send will be visible when the stream is no longer active.
How to see who is watching a Stream
To see who is viewing the stream, press VO End and a “spectators” dialogue should pop up. . Interact with that and you can view the users currently watching. Stop interacting to get out of it.
How to Stop Watching a Stream
Use item chooser and search for “stop,” or VO end then VO left until you find “stop watching.”