Twitch users banned from certain streams can no longer view them with Twitch's new feature.
The company known for its interactive livestreaming service recently added a new feature that prevents users from watching someone's stream after they've been banned or blocked from it.
Twitch has yet to officially announce the feature on its official website as of press time.
No More Ghost Viewing
HUGE TWITCH UPDATE: When you block or ban someone, they’ll no longer be able to view your stream! pic.twitter.com/hS1LOLrbqF
— Lowco (@LowcoTV) August 16, 2023
Twitch has made the consequences of being banned/blocked from a stream more significant. According to Twitch Streamer Lowco, the company implemented a new feature that prevents a banned user from watching someone's stream.
Her post included a screenshot of the toggle enabling or disabling a user's ability to view the livestream they were banned from. Unfortunately, the feature is only available to certain Twitch streamers, Lowco included, per Gamespot.
However, the publication's report stated that the feature will become available to all Twitch users sometime in September. When exactly is still unknown; Twitch hasn't announced the feature's existence officially.
Nevertheless, the feature is working wonders for those with access to it. Twitch streamers that can access the feature stated that it immediately works when toggled on, allowing them to ban someone mid-stream and have them kicked out immediately.
The same is also true for a blocked Twitch user. Interestingly, blocked and banned users can still watch a streamer's past livestreams on demand or clips as of press time.
While the feature is helpful, there are certain workarounds that banned/blocked Twitch users can do to bypass the new feature. It can't remember a banned Twitch user's IP, allowing them to view a streamer's livestream by simply logging out of their account.
Logging into a secondary account could work as well since the feature doesn't block a banned user's IP. However, Twitch Senior Product Manager Trevor Fisher may have dropped hints that the company could add such an ability soon.
According to Fisher's statement on Aug. 16, Twitch streamers that can access the feature in question wants the company to also ban a user's IP due to them being banned/blocked. Despite the absence of such an ability, Fisher explained that the company would take their feedback so it could make its new feature "even more powerful."
Banned/blocked Twitch users who wish to appeal their status can make an appeal to the streamer that banned/blocked them after a set period.
Twitch's Improvements Over Time
The ability to prevent a banned/blocked user from viewing a livestream is only one of the features Twitch has been working on to improve user experience. It previously added the ability for Twitch users to pin their comments at the top of the chat through Hype Chat by paying a certain amount.
It also canceled its Branded Content Guidelines after a massive backlash from its streamers and apologized for adding it to its platform. The Branded Content Guidelines sought to push stricter rules on how streamers can advertise products on their channels.
"We missed the mark with the policy language and will rewrite the guidelines to be clearer," Twitch said on its Twitter page, adding that it would notify the community once it had updated the language of the changes it made to its content policy.
