For anyone still having a problem with this. This has been fixed. I figured out the problem for me was most likely Xbox account issues. There was defiantly a multiplayer issue for awhile. I had an issue with it, but it is now resolved. If anyone who previously commented on this post is still having trouble, I recommend contacting Xbox tech support. They helped me fix many issues with playing with friends. I also wanted to say that my statement about them trying to make it so that you have to purchase realms was false.
This is no longer a problem. Minecraft wants you to buy realms, so multiplayer isn't available unless you and your friends are on the same wifi. If you want multiplayer, pay for realms.
For anyone still having a problem with this.
This has been fixed. I figured out the problem for me was most likely Xbox account issues. There was defiantly a multiplayer issue for awhile. I had an issue with it, but it is now resolved. If anyone who previously commented on this post is still having trouble, I recommend contacting Xbox tech support. They helped me fix many issues with playing with friends. I also wanted to say that my statement about them trying to make it so that you have to purchase realms was false.