Elon Musk is back at it again with another controversial moveThe goal is to transform X's (formerly Twitter) direct messages into an advanced messaging platform called X Chat, designed to compete with giants like WhatsApp, Telegram, and Signal. Their promise is as simple as it is ambitious: an encrypted messaging system, without the need for a phone, integrated into the "super app" they want to build around X.
Far from being a simple update, X Chat presents itself as a tool “rebuilt from scratch”With end-to-end encryption "Bitcoin-style," video calls, disappearing messages, and integrated payment options, it also raises questions: Is it as secure as Musk claims? Can it really replace WhatsApp? And what exactly does "Bitcoin-style encryption" mean?
X Chat: Elon Musk's bet to turn X into a super app
Musk's idea has been brewing for some time: to make X a WeChat-style super appwhere the user can chat, pay within the chatConsume content, hire services, or even go on dates, all without leaving a single app. X Chat is a key piece of that strategy, because private messaging is the glue that keeps users within the ecosystem.
According to reports from media outlets such as Wired, TechCrunch, Gulf News or ForbesX Chat was created as an evolution of X's direct messages, but with a completely new architecture focused on privacy. For now, it works within the X application itself. not as a standalone app, something Musk considers contrary to his plan to avoid fragmentation.
Some reports, however, suggest that It could later be launched as a separate applicationEspecially for those who don't want to use X as a social network but do want to use it as a secure messaging channel. Initially, however, the rollout is being done gradually, with early access for subscribers of X Premium already a limited group of selected users.
Main features of X Chat and how it differs from WhatsApp
From the user's point of view, X Chat brings together almost everything you would expect from a modern messaging app And it adds a few extra tricks. The idea is that, if you're coming from WhatsApp, Telegram, or Signal, you won't miss any basic features, while also finding added privacy and integration with the rest of X's services.
In its first iteration, X Chat includes instant messaging It supports text, emojis, GIFs, photos, videos, and all types of attachments, even large ones. Furthermore, it allows send voice notes, react to messages, and edit or delete messages already sent, something that has become a standard in leading apps.
One of the strongest selling points is the possibility of Make fully integrated voice and video calls On the platform, there's no need to share a phone number. All you need is your X account to initiate audio or video calls, both in individual and group chats, reinforcing the idea that your identity on X is defined by your profile, not your mobile number.
Furthermore, Musk has insisted that X Chat will support “messages that disappear”That is, ephemeral chats similar to those on Telegram or Signal, where messages are automatically deleted after a user-selected time or after being read only once. This aims to give users a greater sense of control over their digital footprint and the management of their personal data.
The inclusion of Options such as marking messages as unread, setting a four-digit PIN to protect access to the chat and activate a "disappearing mode" so that all the content of a conversation expires. These are small details that, combined, reinforce the idea of privacy and security.
In some initial deployments, they have even been tested screenshot blocks or alerts when someone takes a screenshotThis is in line with what privacy-focused apps offer. According to X, all of this runs on a architecture developed in Rust, a programming language known for its focus on memory safety and performance.
End-to-end encryption and the controversial “Bitcoin style”
One of the most striking points of Musk's speech is that X Chat implements end-to-end encryption (E2EE)so that only the sender and receiver can read the content of the messages, video calls, and shared files. Neither X, nor third parties, nor supposedly governments or other actors should be able to access the decrypted content.
Elon Musk has spoken about a system of “Encryption similar to Bitcoin”This has raised eyebrows among cryptographers and security developers. In fact, as some analysts point out, Bitcoin does not use a “message encryption” as suchbut elliptic curve cryptography (ECC) to sign transactions and guarantee their integrity and authenticity.
Musk is probably referring to the fact that X Chat is inspired by a decentralized architectureBased on blockchain principles: absence of a central server as the sole source of truth, use of public and private keys, and distributed trust models. That is, more of a individual control “Bitcoin logic” that a technical copy of the network protocol.
Even so, even the proponents of the initiative acknowledge that not everything is encryptedJust like with WhatsApp, Signal, or Telegram, the Metadata (who talks to whom, when, from what device, how long a call lasts, etc.) is not fully protectedThat type of information, even if it doesn't include the message content, can be very revealing about a person's habits and relationships.
Experts cited by specialized media also point out that X has had to pause encryption features in the past. Due to implementation flaws, they urge caution before assuming that X Chat is "the least insecure system," as Musk has claimed. Transparency regarding the code, external audits, and the publication of technical documentation will be key for the security community to truly trust it.
No phone number: X account-based identity
One of the big differences between X Chat and WhatsApp is that It does not require you to link a phone number to use the service.Instead of relying on your mobile line, identity is associated with your X account, which, in theory, facilitates more anonymous use and separates messaging from your personal number.
This decision has two sides. On the one hand, It benefits those seeking privacy and who don't want to mix personal life, work, and messaging.especially in countries where sharing a phone number can pose an added risk. On the other hand, it raises questions about How will identity verification, the fight against bots and fake accounts be managed? if there is no associated number.
Analysts cited by publications such as Gulf News o The Economist Times They point out that, by eliminating the telephone requirement, X will have to significantly strengthen its anti-spam and authentication systems to prevent the platform from becoming even more filled with automated accounts and fraudulent profiles that abuse encrypted messaging.
Musk, for his part, defends this approach by arguing that X Chat relies on a “cryptographic trust system” which returns control to the user. That is, it relies more on the robustness of the cryptographic model and on network incentives (for example, paid subscriptions or verification) than on the classic "everything tied to the mobile number" model.
Ephemeral messages, PINs, and privacy controls
In terms of practical experience, X Chat places a strong emphasis on privacy control tools within each conversationOne of the star features is the messages that disappear after being read or after a certain timedesigned for particularly sensitive conversations where you don't want to leave a permanent trace.
In addition, the app introduces the option to Protect your chats with a four-digit PIN codeThis adds a layer of local security to the device. This PIN can prevent someone who picks up your unlocked phone from directly accessing your conversations, which is useful in shared work environments or at home.
The call “Disappearance mode” takes this concept a step furtherThis applies a general expiration time to all chat messages. Along with restrictions on screenshots and the deletion of sent messages, this creates an environment where users have more tools to decide what is kept, for how long, and under what conditions.
However, as digital security specialists point out, None of these measures prevents the other person from taking a photo with another device. Or store the information yourself. X Chat can reduce the technical footprint, but it can't eliminate the human factor, so the key is who you share what with.
Payments, purchases, and financial functions integrated into the chat
The other big part of X Chat is its Integration with payment functions and financial servicesThis fits perfectly with Musk's superapp vision. The idea is that you can send money, pay for purchases, or make transfers directly from a conversationwithout opening another banking or payment app.
Since X, already under Musk's command, closed a deal with VISA to enable payments between users (In a model similar to Zelle or Venmo), the path to connecting messaging and money was quite clear. X Chat acts as a natural interface for these operations: you chat with someone, negotiate a payment, and execute it right there.
Some reports mention that The most advanced financial options may be reserved for X Premium usersThis reinforces the subscription model as a way to access powerful tools. In any case, this integration of messaging and payments is also one of the keys that made WeChat a massive success in China.
Beyond peer-to-peer, Musk has hinted that X will integrate banking, shopping, entertainment, and even dating servicesIn that context, X Chat would be the communication layer that unites everything: you talk to a business, pay within the chat itself, receive confirmations, tracking and support, all without leaving the platform.
From rivalry with WhatsApp to the race for the super app
The creation of X Chat cannot be understood without the dialectical war that Musk has been waging for years with WhatsApp and MetaThe founder of Tesla has repeatedly criticized the security and data handling practices of the Meta app, accusing it of not being as private as it claims and of exploiting metadata for advertising and targeting purposes.
With X Chat, Musk wants to introduce a an alternative that completely dispenses with the classic advertising modelAccording to their proposal, messaging in X will not be financed by selling data or ad space within conversations, but through subscriptions, financial services, and other premium products. In short, they intend to build a post-advertising internet focused on user sovereignty.
This vision also puts it in front of other players who want their own superapp. OpenAI, led by Sam Altman —with whom Musk maintains a particularly tense relationship— is driving projects like the World app, with 26 million users verified through biometrics and the Orbs device, which scans the iris to ensure unique identities.
While OpenAI is betting on extreme biometric verificationMusk is trying to go in the opposite direction: Maximum privacy and minimal personal trace in messaging. These are two almost opposite visions of what digital identity should be in the coming years, and X Chat is one of the pieces with which Musk wants to tip the scales in his favor.
Deployment, timelines, and scalability concerns
Regarding dates, public communications have been somewhat confusing. At various times, Musk has confirmed that X Chat will be available "starting this week" for all X users, both paid and free, with the warning that delays may occur due to scaling issues.
At the same time, some reports indicate that A more complete version, converted into a standalone app, might not arrive until 2026.For now, the reality is that X Chat It's already available on iPhone and on the web for select usersand is gradually expanding to Android and a wider audience.
Gradual deployment allows X Test encryption robustness, call performance, and architecture behavior in Rust Before opening the floodgates to hundreds of millions of accounts at once, Musk has learned the hard way that launching massive features without sufficient testing can lead to crashes, bugs, and devastating public criticism.
On the other hand, economic and technological means such as The Economist Times o Forbes point out that The big unknown is not only technical, but also about adoptionWill users of WhatsApp, WhatsApp Business, Telegram, or Signal be able to change their habits and move their groups, contacts, and communication dynamics to X Chat, however secure and convenient it may be?
X Chat versus Telegram, Signal and other “sovereign” messaging services
In the competitive field of secure messaging, X Chat isn't just competing with WhatsAppTelegram, Signal, and other decentralized projects have already claimed their space as options focused on privacy, freedom of expression, and user control over their data.
Where WhatsApp combines end-to-end encryption with extensive metadata collection And with close integration with the Meta ecosystem, Telegram focuses on flexibility, massive channels, and powerful features, although not everything on the platform is end-to-end encrypted by default. Signal, meanwhile, has earned a reputation for being the most purist option in terms of privacy, with open source and no advertising-based business model.
Elon Musk intends that X Chat takes the best of that crypto and sovereign universe and bring it to an already established social network, with more than 600 million monthly usersTheir proposal is a messaging system where the publisher (X) has no access to the content, there is no advertising exploitation of the conversations, and cryptographic control is in the hands of the user.
X chat as a digital block
In some analytical texts, X Chat is referred to as “a digital block” or even “the least insecure messaging” within the current landscape. Beyond the wordplay, the idea is to emphasize that, although no system is perfect, Musk wants to position himself at the extreme of relative security, minimizing the usual weaknesses: advertisements, data mining, and dependence on vulnerable central servers.
It remains to be seen whether the community of experts in security, cryptography, and free software considers that X delivers on its promises or whether, on the contrary, It detects backdoors, opaque practices, or questionable design decisions.At the most critical extreme, some point out that if the code is not fully auditable and the keys are not managed in a truly distributed manner, it is difficult to speak of a system comparable to Bitcoin in terms of sovereignty.
However, X Chat represents a significant leap forward compared to Twitter's old direct messaging system, which had become obsolete in the face of competition. Going from a simple DM inbox with hardly any options to an encrypted messaging client, with calls and files, without intrusive advertisingThis is an improvement that many users have been demanding for years.
Ultimately, the big question isn't just whether X Chat can dethrone WhatsApp, but will it be able to gain the trust of millions of users in such a sensitive area as privacy?Musk is putting on the table a mix of encryption, Bitcoin-inspired architecture, payment integration, and a huge social network as its base of operations; time will tell if that combination is enough to change the communication habits of a large part of the planet.