Since its launch in 2015, Discord has become a surprisingly ubiquitous application. The app combines group voice/video call technology with text chat rooms to create homes for online communities. Discord is truly unlike anything else offered, either on PC or consoles. In fact, Discord's feature set is so robust that it's often requested that the app be made functional for Xbox consoles. While there's no word on official support for that, a new Xbox update may have changed things.
Xbox consoles recently received an update introducing Microsoft's Edge internet browser to the platform. An older version of Edge was previously available, but the new version based on Chromium is significantly more robust and featureful. The intent is to allow Xbox console gamers to be able to tab to the Edge browser for whatever needs they may have mid-game, whether it be guides, tips, or what have you. Notably, Discord can be run from a browser, too.
Xbox users are already testing the limits of how Discord can work within the new Edge browser. The great news is that it works entirely when the Edge browser is open. Users can read and participate in text chat with ease. They can also join voice chat and talk as if they were using Discord through a browser. The bad news is that voice chat doesn't stay open if the Xbox users tabs back to a game. So while Discord can be used casually, it's not a replacement or secondary option next to Xbox party chat.
Xbox users are already requesting that the development team for the new browser implement a workaround so Discord can run in the background, but it seems like a long shot. Microsoft is unlikely to go out of its way to ensure a competitive app works on its platform. Perhaps Discord can partner with Xbox to make an official app release possible, instead.
The new Edge browser also allows for Xbox consoles to run other services, however. For example, Xbox users can use the new Chromium Edge to run Google Stadia games.
It's possible that the team at Xbox will continue iterating on the technology it uses for the Edge browser in the months to come. Microsoft's showing a surprising openness to allowing partners to run their services on Xbox consoles, so anything is possible. But for the time being, Discord users will have to be content with using the app casually on their Xbox.