X begins testing standalone X Chat app on iOS

Social network X has released an initial beta of a standalone X Chat app for iOS, opening access to 1,000 users through Apple’s TestFlight. The beta reached full capacity two hours after the announcement. xAI product designer Michael Boswell said the company will expand the beta “soon” and invited testers to “Use it.

Break it. We want your feedback.” X Chat is an upgraded version of X’s direct messages that the company says is end-to-end encrypted; security experts have warned it is less secure than apps like Signal and should not be trusted, and it’s unclear whether those concerns have been addressed in the standalone app.

The app’s launch represents a shift away from an earlier plan to make X an “everything app.” Early testers have shared screenshots showing a stylized xChat name and a starry login background, and they describe the interface as simpler and smoother than the X app.

x chat, x app, standalone app, ios, testflight, beta, encryption, direct messages, xai, security experts