X begins testing standalone X Chat app on iOS

Source: TechCrunch

Beta Launch

Social network X is bringing its private messaging service, dubbed X Chat, to a standalone iOS app. On Monday the company announced that the initial beta of the X Chat app was being made available to 1,000 users through Apple’s TestFlight testing platform. The beta program reached full capacity two hours after the announcement.

According to an X post by xAI product designer Michael Boswell, the company will expand the beta beyond the initial 1,000 users “soon,” though no ETA was provided.

“For the past few months, we’ve been quietly building a standalone X Chat app for iOS. Use it. Break it. We want your feedback.” – Michael Boswell

Security Concerns

X Chat is presented as an upgraded version of X’s existing direct‑message (DM) feature, which X claims is end‑to‑end encrypted. Security experts, however, have warned that the X Chat service is less secure than other encrypted messaging apps such as Signal and should not be trusted. It is unclear whether the company has addressed these concerns in the standalone app.

Relevant warning: TechCrunch article on security concerns

Design and Interface

Early testers have shared screenshots of the app’s interface:

• A screenshot showing the app’s name stylized as xChat instead of X Chat, suggesting a possible rebranding.
  • Source: Garrett E. Born’s tweet
• The login screen features a starry background.
  • Source: Sawyer Merritt’s tweet

Users describe the app as offering a simpler, smoother interface compared with the X app. The current version does not include message requests, but Boswell indicated that this feature is being rebuilt.

• Source: Boswell’s tweet on message requests

Future Plans and Compatibility

xAI’s Grok responded to questions about the new app on X, confirming several details:

• Age rating: Same as X (17+ on the iOS App Store).
  • Source: Grok’s tweet
• Chat sync: Chats will sync to the X app and the chat.x.com web app, launched in December 2025.
  • Source: Grok’s tweet on sync
• Android version: Expected “very soon.”
  • Source: Grok’s tweet on Android

User Feedback

“I got access to XChat beta! Time to test the hell out of it and see if I can find any bugs. I will already say a great addition to X chat would be a XSpaces feature. Turn it into a Discord‑like app with chat, images, video, and also live video/voice chat!” – Overly Trev, March 3 2026
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