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In such a ruthless world it is nice to have some time to yourself. Everyone will have different things that they enjoy doing but a popular way to spend some alone time is gaming on your Xbox.
Now for people who are not quite familiar with the world of gaming, this may sound absurd. But honestly, after a long day, after you have gone through all the world’s bickering, judging, and negativity, it is nice to have some time to yourself where you can play with or against some people online.
At that moment in that virtual world, you can be anyone that you want to be.
If you want, you can just let out all of your day’s frustration over a pile of undead zombies, or with a full-fledged force attack with your tanks and so on. Oh but wait, what if somehow this space of yours gets taken away?
Many gamers at this point may realize, oh you are talking about the Xbox getting banned or maybe an account suspension, right, but that is just temporary and even if we do not take any steps it will be over after a fixed time by itself.
Well for people who are having these trains of thought it is advised that they hold it right there. It may not be the case as your Xbox can get banned permanently if you get suspended or banned enough or if the offense is quite severe.
If this was brand new information to you then this is an article that deals with exactly that, so just buckle up and read along.
So, how many times can you get banned on Xbox before you get permanently banned?
Unfortunately, no one knows the exact answer outside of Microsoft and even they aren’t exactly consistent with a number of bans before a permanent ban. Many people believe that it is 3 bans for small offenses in a year before getting an account ban and then 3 account bans before getting a console ban.
Some people have reported getting 5+ bans over the course of a few years without getting an account ban so the frequency of the bans and the severity of the actions does seem to get taken into account by Microsoft when making decisions.
Since there is no exact number or frequency where you automatically can expect an account ban or console ban then it is always better to walk a more fine line after you get your first ban.
A good recommendation is to turn your messaging to where you can only get messages from your friends as this will help you not get into a trash-talking war with a stranger who might report you.
There are a variety of things that can get you banned and also some different types of bans so if you don’t know what can get you banned or you want to learn more about the ban types then read on or watch the video below.
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Xbox bans, An Overview:
There are different reasons as to why a device or account may get banned, and there are different bans as well. However, depending on the severity of the actions that broke the guidelines, the severity of the ban will often vary as well.
Rarely will someone get an immediate console ban without first getting account bans, communication bans, or both.
Microsoft certainly could immediately ban your console but they want people to keep using their consoles and network so they are relatively lenient except in the most severe cases.
Device bans are not something that Microsoft takes lightly as they know that you are likely to be pretty upset that you aren’t able to play online with your console anymore so you are likely to go to a different console maker when you buy your next one.
These types of bans are normally reserved for the most serious offenses and violations of the terms of service.
Device bans are normally extensively investigated and occur only after all the members of the investigating team have reached a conclusion that the offense was bad enough to deserve that drastic of a measure.
A ban usually occurs when a user breaks the code of conduct and normally you will be suspended multiple times before you get a ban. Another thing to note is that once a device ban occurs, no online accounts, suspended or not, can be accessed via that device.
A device may be banned from Xbox Live for different reasons. The following is a general list of things that might get your device immediately banned.
- Tampering with the console. This may include opening an Xbox console physically and making certain modifications to it to play unauthorized or illegitimate software. It also might just be tampering with the software or hacking with no physical modding done.
- Cybercrime such as online fraud. This includes activities such as account theft, phishing, or other activities to defraud the company, the players, or both. This could be done over chat, messages, or even trying to get people to leave to leave the platform.
- A list of nefarious activities is usually mentioned on the company’s site somewhere, and repeated violations of those will result in the banning of the console as well.
To see some additional reasons why your account or device might be banned you will want to check out the video below.
You will usually be informed via email if and when a device is banned or even if your account is suspended. Even if you do not receive an email, a notification will also be sent stating that the device could not be used at the moment.
If it is an Xbox 360, you will receive a message saying that the console has been banned for violations of the company’s Terms of Use. To protect the services of Xbox Live and its members, details are withheld by the company. No recourse will be available at the moment.
What you will see on an Xbox One or Xbox Series X is, the console has been banned. This occurred because of the user’s violations of the Terms of Use. So as to protect the members and the services of it all, the company will and does not provide details regarding the details of the ban.
Types of bans an Xbox owner may experience:
Everyone deserves a chance. Maybe due to that or maybe due to some other reason, there are different types of bans that an Xbox could and does implement. The types of bans are discussed here briefly.
The original punishments may last 1, 7, or 14 days depending on the violation committed. So scroll down and read along to enlighten yourself about the types of bans there are, so as steer clear of them.
1. Temporary Ban:
This is basically for minor offenses. This may include the user using certain Xbox Live features that were not meant to be used.
This is basically just the temporary suspension of your account. Inconveniences associated with temporary bans include problems in uploading content, chatting with other users, and so on. Normally you will get a temporary ban from chatting or talking on Xbox Live if you use offensive language/profanity/swearing, hate speech, sexist remarks, racist remarks, etc.
Violations such as cheating or harassment are dealt with more seriously as well. The exact period of time for this suspension may vary from a day to two weeks depending on the kind of violation that was committed.
The Xbox enforcement team will decide exactly how long your suspension is based on its severity and whether it was your first time, the second time, etc. If it is your second offense or third offense you will receive a longer suspension than if it is the first time you did something wrong.
Continued suspensions will likely eventually result in a permanent account suspension or permanent console ban.
2. Gamer tag ban:
This is another type of ban. This basically states that a gamer tag with any kind of sexist, racist, or any other kind of offensive content is not allowed by the company. Typically your gamertag will receive reports/complaints and so Xbox support will then reach out to you to change it.
If something of the sort happens, the user will be sent a notification asking him or her to change the offensive gamertags.
If the user compiles at the moment, no steps are usually taken, but if even after repeated warnings they do not change the gamer tag, the respective accounts will normally be suspended.
3. Permanent Ban:
There now, the main topic of the day. You see that companies, especially the leading ones; take violations of their terms of use quite seriously. They do this to promote healthy competition and gaming practices among individuals.
Before a permanent ban occurs the user usually is aware of his or her wide range of violations. A permanent ban basically means banning the device as a whole from being able to access any online content.
No accounts, suspended or not, can be accessed via that device or used on that device to access online content. The device then could only be used for offline games with only people playing on that device.
A permanent ban can usually not be lifted even with an Xbox enforcement review. When you receive a permanent ban you will be banned from all online play either with your Microsoft account (account ban) or on your entire Xbox console (an account ban).
Conclusion
There you go! Now you know why an account gets suspended, or a device gets banned and most importantly for how long. But do not fret as most companies ban a device permanently only after looking at the range of violations the user has committed.
You will normally get multiple strikes a year before getting an account banned and multiple account bans will normally be required for your entire device to be taken down.
This is of course assuming that none of your violations are serious ones.
If you abide by the community standards in the first place, there is not much chance of your Xbox ever being banned.
If you do get your account or device banned it is a good idea to contact the company on receiving such emails about banning one’s device or suspension of an account, so as to understand why it occurred and how it could be undone and most importantly to verify that the emails are indeed real and not just a phishing attempt.