XChat, a new standalone messaging application from X, was officially released on Friday, initially for iOS users. This app enables communication with X contacts, offering features like messaging, file sharing, audio and video calls, and group chats. Earlier this year, X began testing XChat with a select group of beta users to refine the experience based on their feedback.
XChat forms an essential part of X’s strategic vision, diversifying its services beyond social networking to include messaging and payment functionalities, the latter of which is also being developed as a separate app but is not yet publicly available. This decision marks a departure from CEO Elon Musk’s original ambition of transforming X into an “everything app,” which would consolidate various services—including messaging, payments, shopping, and AI—into a singular platform.
Now, under Musk’s company xAI, X is offering a suite of apps to enhance user engagement. At launch, XChat includes several privacy-focused features, such as the ability to edit and delete messages for everyone in the chat, disappearing messages, and screenshot blocking, with no advertising or tracking purportedly included. The app claims that all communications are secured with end-to-end encryption and PIN protection; however, security experts have previously raised concerns regarding the validity of these encryption claims, suggesting that XChat may lack the security robustness of competing messaging apps like Signal.
Experts had warned that XChat might not be as secure as other encrypted platforms, and as it becomes broadly available, they will need to assess whether necessary improvements have been implemented. Besides personal and group chats, XChat will also replace X’s Communities feature, which is being retired due to low usage and spamming issues, potentially driving increased traffic to the new app from former community members.
Looking ahead, Benji Taylor, X’s lead designer, hinted that XChat is “just the beginning” of their messaging innovations, suggesting that further updates and features are on the horizon.
Fanpage: TechArena.au
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