X replaces DMs with Chat, a new messaging system that it says is E2EE, supports file sharing, video calling, and more, rolling out first to iOS and the web
Launching a new chat app is just about the hardest thing you can do in tech. X: @chat : Say hello to Chat - all-new secure messaging on X. • end-to-end encrypted chats and file sharing • edit, delete, or make messages disappear • block screenshots and get notified of attempts • no ads. no tracking. total privacy. [video] Elon Musk / @elonmusk : Try it, you'll like it! Totally new messaging and calling communication system that replaces the old DMs. @chat : Voice memos are returning soon - what else would you love to see in Chat? Jocelyn / @user361136 : Thank you for making DMs unusable we ALL wanted this Michael Foster / @realmfoster : Scroll past this if you're not Elon. This is addressed to him. Elon, Speaking as a fan, you've made some missteps with this app. First, you changed the name. That so many people still call it Twitter should tell you that this was a mistake I get you're sentimental about [image] Sarah / @xoilonwater : i am the queen of typos. i need my edit option 🥺 Jason / @spongebobsloth : Elon musk has completely ruined twitter.. he keeps removing things people actually use like circles and now voice memos. the new dms update is so unbelievably atrocious. just when i think this is the worst update yet somehow elon one ups himself each time @w3andrea : I don't DM much in @X because it's not secure. Fun fact - when I was hacked earlier this summer they DM'd ONE “person” with a fishing link. 🤔 Holden M. Accountable / @noahpasaran : Wow almost every single one of these changes is moronic @hcfoo : With the new X DM update coming soon, it might shape fandom coordination and affect trending parties for those who rely on group chats to share links and boost engagement. 1.Growth may slow down since adding new members will require creating a new encrypted chat. How many of us Sarah / @morganfilms : we asked for circles back and now we can't edit our groupchats [image] Josh Billinson / @jbillinson : “Group chat names cannot be changed” is the biggest tell that no one involved in making this has ever been in a truly fun group chat @opfascism : @elonmusk I can't begin to express how FUCKED UP this platform is now. All of my favorite features are gone. It takes FOREVER for anything to load. Room names are gone & can't be changed back, so they all look the same, making navigation IMPOSSIBLE. The little side window is Jack / @jackmara : .@chat is here 🚀 K.W. Bussard / @kwbussard_ : week after week, stuff is always breaking on @X Quit testing in production! If you have a feature/update, thoroughly test it in a controlled environment, then once QA/QC is passed, THEN push to prod. Notifications are broke - not getting them or they don't go away. Chat / Bill Lee / @westcoastbill : can we get disappearing for group chats? 🙏 Otto Suwen / @ottosuwen : The old messaging system worked perfectly fine. I am lagging my ass off now opening the new chat... @brexton : At first I didn't like X merging DMs and chat, but then I realized you could finally mark messages as unread which is the feature I've wanted the most for *years* Plus it's gotten much faster/smoother over the past few days, bravo @X team Lee / @shortmagsmle : Truly incredible that X can get away with this absolute disaster of a chat “update” and it just drags on and on in a situation where you can't see your messages half the time and there's zero consistency between PC/mobile and Twitter is just like “oh well, man” @x : 🔒 @Chat you are not cooked all-new secure messaging has arrived [video] Myles Wagner / @myleswagner : No third-party vulnerabilities, ad hooks, or tracking of any kind. This is truly private messaging built with robust encryption. @woodsbets : Bro @elonmusk this new X chat update is terrible: - Slow and super laggy - Pinned DMs blend in with regular ones (no visual separation) - Links in conversations turned into weird dead links - Half my convos won't even load - Send/receive message colours look awful - Floating
Context & Ripple Effects
Chat turns X's earlier plan for an encrypted, file-capable XChat into a live replacement for legacy DMs, initially on iOS and the web. It also advances the calling ambition X outlined when it described itself as a global address book for phone-number-free calls.
The rollout arrives after evidence of a shrinking or flat US mobile audience in 2024, making improvements to private communication a consequential retention and engagement test rather than a cosmetic feature update.
First-order effects
- X users on iOS and the web must transition from DMs to Chat for private conversations, gaining advertised encryption, file sharing, calling and message-control tools but encountering reported loading, notification and group-management problems.
- X takes on the operational burden of making privacy, cross-device consistency and core messaging reliability work together as it restores features such as voice memos.
Second-order effects
- Early usability failures can limit adoption of the new system and make the claimed privacy and convenience benefits harder for X to translate into more frequent on-platform communication.
- The product raises the baseline for X's private-messaging experience: retaining users will depend on whether the replacement is dependable across mobile and desktop, not simply whether it adds a longer feature list.
Third-order effects
- If X continues integrating messaging, calling and sharing into its social platform, private communication could become a more central layer of its product rather than a secondary inbox.
- The rollout illustrates a broader platform trade-off: replacing a mature communication channel can create a unified service, but migration friction can undermine that strategy when reliability regresses.
The trend: Social platforms are expanding beyond public feeds by rebuilding private messaging as an integrated, privacy-positioned communications layer.