Elon Musk announced the launch of “X Chat,” a new communication feature integrated into the social media platform X, to a limited number of beta users. The product, unveiled by Musk and the platform’s Chief Technical Officer on Thursday, replaces and merges with the existing direct messages (DMs) system. X Chat offers end-to-end encryption, audio and video calls, file transfers, and disappearing messages.
Read More: Elon Musk wins approval for record $1 trillion Tesla pay package
A key focus of the new feature is encryption. Previously, DMs were not encrypted by default, and only paid subscribers could access encrypted conversations. With X Chat, all messages will now be fully encrypted, offering users protection similar to messaging apps like Signal and WhatsApp. Users accessing the feature must first create a four-digit PIN, which is required to open messages, a step that has drawn mixed reactions from early adopters.
Read More: Elon Musk becomes first person worth $500 billion
The rollout of X Chat follows other recent innovations on the platform, including Grokipedia, the X API beta, and upcoming upgrades like Grok Imagine’s video support, X Money, and a Grok-powered X feed. Musk emphasized that the new communications stack represents a major step toward more secure and versatile messaging on the platform.