Elon Musk unveils XChat: New direct messaging features including self-destructing messages

Elon Musk, owner of the platform X (formerly Twitter), has announced the rollout of a new version of the direct messaging feature, named XChat. This updated version includes several new features, most notably self-destructing messages, encryption support, file sharing capabilities, and support for voice and video calls.

Musk mentioned on his personal account that the updated version of XChat is still in beta testing and is limited to a select group of users. However, he confirmed that the team expects to launch it for all users within this week, provided there are no issues during the rollout.

He explained that the new version of XChat is built using the Rust programming language and relies on what he described as "Bitcoin-like encryption" and a completely new architecture.

Musk's description has sparked some debate, as Bitcoin is not technically described as "encrypted"; it uses digital signature techniques and public key cryptography. This has led some to question whether Musk is using this term for marketing purposes.

Musk has repeatedly expressed his desire for XChat to directly compete with secure messaging apps like Signal and iMessage. However, simply labeling the new service as using "Bitcoin-like encryption" raises doubts about its actual capability to compete with those platforms.

In related news, Musk announced that XChat users can now make voice and video calls without needing a phone number, available across various systems.

The launch of XChat coincides with the suspension of the previous encrypted messaging system, indicating that the platform is preparing to fully adopt the new system as a permanent replacement.

However, users of X have recently experienced several technical issues that have made it difficult to navigate the platform and utilize some features, including XChat.