XChat, the standalone messaging application from the X platform, was officially released to the public on Friday. Initially available for iOS devices, the new app allows users to communicate directly with their X contacts.
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The application enables users to send messages, share files, conduct voice and video calls, and engage in group chats. According to a report by TechCrunch, the company began public testing of XChat earlier this year with a small group of users to gather feedback on the new experience.
XChat is a core component of the company’s strategic vision, which views the social network as a launching pad for other services like messaging and payments. A dedicated payments service is also reportedly being tested as a standalone app, though it has not yet been released to the public.
A Shift in Strategy
The decision to spin off a portion of the platform into a standalone app marks a shift from owner Elon Musk’s previous plan to build X into an "Everything App"—a single platform for messaging, payments, creator content, shopping, and AI. Instead, xAI, Musk's artificial intelligence company which owns X, is introducing a suite of apps to provide more touchpoints for users to interact with its services.
XChat supports messaging and calling alongside privacy-focused features, including the ability to edit or delete messages for all participants, self-disappearing messages, and a screenshot blocking feature. X has confirmed that the app is free of advertisements and tracking mechanisms.
Encryption and Privacy Concerns
X claims that all messages are end-to-end encrypted and protected by a PIN. However, security experts have previously questioned the platform’s encryption claims. Upon the initial testing phase, experts warned potential users that XChat appeared less secure than other encrypted messaging apps like Signal.
Security analysts will now need to re-evaluate the standalone XChat app, following its wide release, to determine if necessary security improvements have been implemented.
New Home for "Communities"
Beyond private and group conversations, XChat is set to become the new destination for the "X Communities" feature, which the company decided to discontinue due to low usage and high spam rates. The timing of this transition may give XChat an early boost in installations as community members migrate to the new app.
