Overview

• XChat beta is currently available to paid subscribers, with a full rollout to all users expected later this week.
• The messaging feature offers end-to-end encryption, self-destructing messages, cross-platform file sharing and audio/video calling without requiring phone numbers.
• Musk says XChat is built on Rust with a “Bitcoin-style” encryption architecture, though cryptography experts point out that Bitcoin itself does not encrypt transaction data.
• X paused its earlier encrypted messaging system last week to implement improvements ahead of the XChat launch.
• XChat is a cornerstone of Musk’s effort to transform X into an all-in-one platform, but it must still win over users given the dominance of established messaging rivals.