By Swift Reporter
Elon Musk’s X has launched XChat, a standalone messaging application designed to offer private communication while keeping users connected to their existing X accounts.
The app debuted in April 2026 for iPhone and iPad users, offering private and group chats, file sharing, audio and video calls, and several privacy-focused features. X says messages are end-to-end encrypted and PIN-protected, while the app contains no advertisements or tracking mechanisms.
XChat also allows users to edit or delete messages for everyone, send disappearing messages and block or receive alerts about screenshot attempts. Users can sign in using their existing X accounts, meaning they do not need to build a separate contact network from scratch.
The service is part of Musk’s broader effort to expand X beyond a traditional social-media platform and into services such as messaging and payments. X has previously discussed integrating payment functions through X Money, while the company has also been developing other products around the X ecosystem.
XChat’s privacy claims, however, have attracted scrutiny. Security researchers have questioned aspects of the service’s encryption architecture and compared it with more established encrypted-messaging platforms. Kaspersky, for example, examined the service’s security model and raised concerns about how its PIN-based system works.
The launch initially focused on Apple’s ecosystem, with the app requiring iOS 26 or later. An Android version was not available at the initial launch.
However, XChat’s availability has since changed. In September 2026, reports indicated that the standalone app disappeared from both Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play Store. The reason was not immediately disclosed, with reports suggesting X itself removed the listings.
The development marks another step in Musk’s long-running effort to expand X into a broader digital ecosystem combining social networking, communication, artificial intelligence and payments.
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