XChat, a standalone encrypted messaging application developed by X, is scheduled to launch on iOS on April 17 and on Android at a later date. [1] The app offers end-to-end encryption, group chats for hundreds of users, audio and video calls, disappearing messages, screenshot blocking, and message recall — a feature set that mirrors Signal's security posture and WeChat's social breadth.

The WeChat comparison is not accidental. Elon Musk has said explicitly that his ambition is to build a Western equivalent of WeChat, the Chinese super-app that combines messaging, payments, social media, and services into a single platform. XChat is, by that logic, the messaging layer of a larger project. [1] The app requires no phone number to create an account, carries no advertising, and does not track users — at least according to X's marketing.

The launch comes at a notable moment. Musk is navigating the aftermath of civil fraud findings in other business contexts, and XChat's privacy-first pitch serves a political as well as commercial purpose. [2] Privacy researchers have already examined the TestFlight beta and found that while encryption is genuine, the app collects device identifiers, usage metadata, and contact graph data that stop well short of the no-tracking promise. [2]

The timing nonetheless positions XChat against Signal, WhatsApp, and Telegram in a privacy messaging market that has grown substantially as users migrate away from ad-supported platforms. Whether X's corporate structure — and Musk's public visibility — is a feature or a bug for users seeking privacy depends heavily on your threat model.

-- DAVID CHEN, Beijing