X launches standalone XChat app on iOS

Source: TechCrunch

Launch and Availability

XChat, X’s standalone messaging app, launched to the public on Friday. Initially available on iOS devices, the new app allows users to connect with their X contacts for messaging, file sharing, audio and video calls, as well as group chats.

Background and Testing

The company first began publicly testing XChat with a small group of beta users earlier this year to gather feedback about the new experience.

Strategic Vision

The XChat app is a key piece of the strategic vision for the company, which sees the social network as a jumping‑off point for other services, such as messaging or payments. The payments service is also being tested as a dedicated app, though it is not yet publicly available.

X’s decision to break out a piece of its platform into a dedicated app marks a shift away from Elon Musk’s earlier plan to make X an “everything app” that would combine messaging, payments, creator content, shopping, AI, and more. Instead, xAI (Musk’s AI company that owns X and is itself owned by SpaceX) is now offering a suite of apps to provide more consumer touchpoints with its services.

Features and Security

At launch, XChat offers:

• Messaging and calling
• Privacy‑focused features such as the ability to edit and delete messages for everyone, disappearing messages, and screenshot blocking
• No ads or tracking mechanisms

The company claims that all messages are end‑to‑end encrypted and PIN protected, though security experts have previously disputed these encryption claims. Earlier warnings noted that XChat appeared less secure than other encrypted messaging apps like Signal when first introduced. Experts will need to re‑evaluate the dedicated XChat app now that it is broadly available.

Communities and Future Updates

XChat is also positioned to become the new home for X’s Communities, which the company has decided to shut down due to low usage and high spam levels (source). This transition could give XChat an early boost in installs as community members migrate.

More updates are planned. X lead designer Benji Taylor teased that the app is “just the beginning of what we’re building for messaging.”