X Chat debuts as separate app for iOS
Separating X Chat into a standalone app signals a shift from Elon Musk’s earlier vision of consolidating multiple services.
Social platform X has released a standalone version of its private messaging service, X Chat, via Apple’s TestFlight. The initial beta reached capacity within two hours, reflecting strong early demand among iOS users eager to trial the new app.
Michael Boswell confirmed that the first 1,000 places were quickly expanded to 5,000, with further growth expected. Development has been ongoing for several months, and testers have been urged to stress-test the product and submit detailed feedback.
Early screenshots suggest a cleaner interface and possible rebranding to ‘xChat’.
Security claims remain under scrutiny, as experts question whether X Chat’s encryption matches established platforms such as Signal. Clear evidence addressing those concerns in the standalone build has yet to emerge.
Launch of the separate app marks a notable shift from Elon Musk’s earlier ambition to integrate messaging, payments, and content into a single ‘everything app’.
Chats will synchronise across X, its web platform chat.x.com, and the new iOS app, while an Android version is expected soon.
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