XChat, the standalone app for accessing X’s messaging feature, is now available to download for iOS. X previously suggested it would remove direct messaging from X in 2025, but at least for now, XChat is available in the original
Based on its launch video, the new XChat app offers many of the elements of modern messaging that The new XChat app also supports video and audio calls and X claims that all messages sent with XChat are end-to-end encrypted.
XChat would also be expected to be the home of any groups built around X’s community feature. The social platform recently announced it was retiring Communities at the end of May, and suggested that XChat’s support for large group chats could be a worthwhile alternative. XChat’s group chats can currently hold up to 350 participants, but X plans to increase that number in the future.
Elon Musk’s original pitch after rebranding Twitter as A standalone messaging app seems like the exact opposite, but it could also reflect where X finds itself in 2026. The company is now a subsidiary of xAI, and xAI itself is part of SpaceX. It appears that Musk’s push into AI is less of a concern, and cloning something like WeChat may be less important.
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