X has officially launched XChat, its new stand-alone messaging app, to the public on Friday.
The app is currently available first on iOS and lets users connect with their X contacts for private messaging, file sharing, audio and video calls, and group chats.
The company had started testing XChat earlier this year with a limited number of beta users to collect feedback before the wider release.
XChat plays an important role in the company’s broader strategy of expanding beyond social networking into services like messaging and payments. While a separate payments app is also being tested, it has not been released publicly yet.
XChat is now available. Design team is cooking on these launch videos. pic.twitter.com/u7BIKNp0pc
— Design (@Design) April 24, 2026
The launch also marks a change from Elon Musk’s earlier idea of turning X into a single “everything app” that would combine messaging, payments, shopping, creator tools, AI, and more in one place.
Now, xAI, Musk’s artificial intelligence company that owns X, appears to be building multiple apps to reach users through different services.
At launch, XChat includes messaging and calling features along with privacy-focused tools such as editing and deleting messages for everyone in a chat, disappearing messages, and screenshot blocking. X says the app does not contain ads or tracking systems.
The company also says all messages are protected with end-to-end encryption and PIN security, although past encryption claims from X have been questioned by security experts.
Researchers had previously raised concerns that XChat appeared less secure than apps like Signal when it was first introduced. They are expected to review the public version again to see whether those concerns have been addressed.
XChat is also becoming the new home for X Communities, which the company is shutting down after low usage and growing spam problems. That change could help drive early downloads as users move into the new app.
More features may already be on the way. X lead designer Benji Taylor said the app is only the beginning of what the company plans to build for messaging.
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