I have had a bug in Gta Online on Xbox One since yesterday and although I can't play with friends I can't join them and they can't join me because there's always no connection to the party session and I usually come into a public solo session. Sometimes also in a normal public session but then there are always max. 3 other people inside.
If the connection to the server can't be established, this is due to your internet connection. You can't choose how many players are in an open session, but GTA Online is looking for a quick session that is currently free.