XChat is coming: Here’s what we know about Elon Musk’s new messaging tool on X

Elon Musk announced Sunday the launch of XChat, a revamped version of X’s direct messaging system that incorporates a number of ambitious features. Key new features include disappearing messages, encryption and the ability to share files, as well as complementing the existing support for audio and video calls.

For now, these features are not available to all users. XChat has just started its beta phase with a limited group, but Musk assured that the team expects to enable them for the entire community this week, provided that no scalability issues arise during the rollout.

Musk also detailed that this new version was developed with the Rust programming language, incorporating a “Bitcoin-style” encryption system and a completely new architecture. However, the expression has generated some confusion, since Bitcoin does not use encryption as such, but a system of public key cryptography and digital signatures to ensure security.

What are the advantages of XChat?

In addition to messaging features, XChat users will be able to make audio and video calls without the need for a phone number, and from any platform. This advance comes after the pause in the development of X’s encrypted direct messaging, presumably to integrate these improvements into the new system.

However, despite the promises, the platform has faced notable instability over the past week. Several outages prevented users from accessing their timelines and using other functions, including XChat. These technical problems could represent a major challenge if the company seeks to position its service as a solid alternative to other consolidated messaging systems.

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