Platform X has announced the launch date for its standalone messaging app, XChat, which will be available for download on iPhones and iPads starting April 17.
It is not the old IRC chat application, but a new messaging application exclusive to users of the "X" platform, which the company has prepared to be an advanced alternative to the internal messaging feature.
Elon Musk, the platform's CEO, first spoke about developing a new version of the direct messaging feature in mid-2025, confirming at the time that the new version would be encrypted and based on a "completely new technical architecture." He also promised that all X users would receive this feature by June of that year, but Musk is known for his overly optimistic timelines.
Now, instead of being just an internal update within the "X" platform, the feature has become a standalone application.
XChat allows users to chat with anyone on the platform, make voice calls across different devices, all with end-to-end encryption.
The app also gives users the ability to edit or delete their messages for all participants in the conversation, as well as blocking the screenshot feature, and activating disappearing messages that disappear automatically after five minutes if the user wants to protect sensitive details.
As for groups, XChat allows the creation of large group chats with up to 481 members. In a welcome surprise, the platform promises on its App Store page that XChat will be completely ad-free and will not track or collect user data.
Users can now pre-order the app via the App Store, so it will be automatically downloaded to their devices as soon as it launches on schedule. The platform's tagline for the launch is: "Your encrypted messages deserve their own app."
