Social network X has officially introduced its private messaging service, now known as X Chat, in the form of a standalone app for iOS. The company announced that the initial beta version is available to a select group of 1,000 users via Apple's TestFlight platform.
The beta program reached its user limit within just two hours of the announcement. Michael Boswell, a product designer at xAI, indicated that the company plans to broaden access to the beta soon, although no specific timeline has been provided.
"For the past few months, we've been quietly building a standalone X Chat app for iOS," Boswell stated. "Use it. Break it. We want your feedback," he encouraged users.
X Chat aims to enhance the existing direct messaging feature by offering end-to-end encryption. However, some security experts have raised concerns, suggesting that X Chat may not be as secure as other encrypted messaging applications like Signal. It remains uncertain whether these security issues have been addressed in the new app.
This launch signifies a shift from Elon Musk's earlier vision of transforming X into an "everything app" that would consolidate messaging, payments, and creator content into one platform.
Early testers have begun sharing their experiences and screenshots of the app's interface. Some users noted that the beta version stylizes the name as xChat, hinting at a potential rebranding. Feedback has highlighted the app's user-friendly interface, which offers a smoother experience compared to the original X app. Currently, the app does not support message requests, but Boswell has mentioned that this feature is under development.
In response to inquiries, the AI chatbot Grok confirmed that the app will have the same age rating as X (17+) on the iOS App Store and that chats will synchronize with the X app and the recently launched chat.x.com web app. Furthermore, Grok indicated that an Android version of the X Chat app is anticipated to be released soon.