First-day review of "Musk’s WeChat" XChat: Even worse than expected

Original｜Odaily Planet Daily (@OdailyChina)

Author｜Wenser (@wenser 2010 )

After nearly a year of warm-up, XChat, originally scheduled for release on April 17 but postponed several times to April 23 and 24, has finally made its debut. However, contrary to many expectations, although the newly launched XChat touts itself as "encrypted communication," its messaging experience is not much different from X platform (Twitter) DMs.

Odaily Planet Daily was among the first to review this social application, which Musk has high hopes for, and discovered some "interesting" points. Let's discuss whether it can become another dark horse in Western social media after Facebook and Instagram (Threads).

Interesting Point No. 1: End-to-End Encryption to Cash in on BTC?

Last June, when Musk first teased XChat, he stated that the X platform would soon launch a new version of its chat tool, XChat, which would support end-to-end encryption, disappearing messages, sending any file type, and audio/video calls.

Furthermore, he emphasized that XChat is developed using the Rust language, incorporates an encryption architecture similar to Bitcoin, and its overall framework has been completely rebuilt. It also allows users to make voice/video calls across all platforms without needing a phone number. (Doesn't this feel like WeChat voice/video?)

However, cryptocurrency practitioners and cryptographers later pointed out that Bitcoin's core blockchain functionality is not encryption in the traditional sense, calling Musk's claim "pure hype."

In summary, XChat's communication encryption technology and BTC's cryptographic techniques are not just different; they are completely unrelated.

Interesting Point No. 2: No Ads, Aiming for "One of the Most Secure Communication Systems"

On November 2 last year, Musk appeared on Joe Rogan's podcast, "The Joe Rogan Experience" (Note from Odaily Planet Daily: This podcast has an annual revenue of up to $250 million and is one of the most listened-to radio podcasts in the US), for an in-depth 3-hour conversation.

During the podcast, Musk indicated that he believes the US is a society that has been eroded by "mind viruses," which was his original motivation for acquiring Twitter. His goal is to "let the truth speak out" and to build a secure social communication platform (i.e., XChat).

His exact words were: "I don't think any communication system can be said to be 'absolutely secure,' only that they have 'different degrees of insecurity.' XChat uses a 'peer-to-peer encryption system,' somewhat like Bitcoin's technology, with strong resistance to attacks, and we are fully testing it. XChat has no advertising hooks. Other communication apps like WhatsApp have ad-driven clickbait. They collect your chat information to push targeted ads. This is a huge security vulnerability—if an app can collect enough information to push ads, it means it's collecting a massive amount of private data. They say, 'Don't worry, it's just to show relevant ads,' but others could also exploit this clickbait to view your information. XChat has no advertising features whatsoever.

I wouldn't dare say it's absolutely perfect, but our goal is for XChat to replace the old Twitter DMs, becoming a completely encrypted system. I believe it will be 'one of the most secure communication systems.'"

Currently, this point seems to have been achieved, as XChat is now so bare-bones that it has no other pages, only a single [Chat] page.

Interesting Point No. 3: Screenshot Blocking Feature Malfunctions (?)

Before XChat's release, many were highly interested in its "screenshot blocking" feature. Based on previous beta versions and the settings of the official release, this feature is optional.

However, according to the author's own attempt, it seems that even after enabling it, screenshots can still be taken directly in the XChat group chat interface, but the screenshot shows only the group avatar without any chat content. In contrast, attempting a screenshot in an X platform group chat displays a message: "This chat is protected and cannot be screenshotted."

Screen displayed after screenshot attempt in X platform group chat

Screen displayed after screenshot in XChat group chat

Specific path: [Groups] -> [Click group avatar] -> [Block Screenshots] -> [On/Off].

Interesting Point No. 4: Supports 45 Languages, Age Rating 16+

According to App Store information, XChat supports 45 languages, including Chinese, German, Japanese, Russian, and Korean. Additionally, its user age rating is 16+, meaning it contains "profanity or crude humor, sexual content or nudity; unrestricted web access, information, and chat." In comparison, WeChat has an age rating of 13+. From this perspective, XChat's content boundaries are indeed broader.

Detailed App Store age rating breakdown is also provided:

The 18+ requirement seems a bit broad

Interesting Point No. 5: Login Screen Requires Verification via X Account's Linked Email

Contrary to pre-launch speculation, the XChat login page requires users to verify the email address associated with their X platform account. If you can't remember the email linked to your X account, you can check it in [Settings and Privacy] -> [Your Account] -> [Account Information]. If you previously enabled 2FA verification, you will also need to enter a 6-digit verification code.

Although the author is not entirely sure about the reason for this step—is it for easier future email outreach to users, or for KYC compliance? It remains to be seen.

The first thing you see when opening XChat

Interesting Point No. 6: Encryption Just for Show?

The previously touted "encryption and privacy" concept currently doesn't feel very apparent.

In personal testing, the messages in the XChat interface are similar to those in the X platform group interface, except it adds a "Encrypted - Yes" indicator.

As for the optional [Encryption] setting, it is not displayed in this version.

XChat: Long press message -> Click "Info" -> Shows "Encrypted" status

X Platform Group Chat: Long press message -> Click "Info" -> Displayed interface

Interesting Point No. 7: Message Disappearing Time Ranges from 5 Minutes to 4 Weeks

In XChat's group settings, after clicking [Disappearing Messages], you can set the time limit for messages to self-destruct after being read. The options are: 5 minutes, 1 hour, 8 hours, 1 day, 1 week, and 4 weeks.

According to the note in the settings interface, this duration is calculated from the time a group member reads the message, not from when the sender sent it.

Specific path: [Group Avatar] -> [Disappearing Messages]

Interesting Point No. 8: XChat Groups Open Invite Link Function

This feature is relatively standard.

Worth mentioning is that XChat groups share the invite link function with X platform groups. If disabled, others cannot join the group even if they have the link.

XChat group invite link settings interface

Interesting Point No. 9: XChat Group Member Limit May Be 1000

This point was mentioned in a previous post by X platform product lead Nikita Bier. Currently, the exact capacity limit for XChat groups hasn't been thoroughly tested.

Not long ago, Nikita announced in a post that the original "Community" feature on the X platform would be migrated to XChat groups, reminding users that the transition deadline is May 30.

Additionally, he mentioned, "We will increase the XChat group chat member limit to 500, and aim to reach 1000 members in the coming weeks. This should cover all but a few of the largest communities on X." Of course, this presumptuous feature change drew significant criticism from X platform users.

Nikita's post on April 23 also attracted a lot of online backlash

Interesting Point No. 10: App Icon Has 8 Variations, Chat Bubbles Very Similar to WeChat

As indicated by previous beta version information, the official XChat also offers 8 different icon colors for users to switch between: white, black, purple, green, orange, pink, gray, and yellow. Although it's a small feature, it adds a touch of much-needed realism to this supposedly privacy-focused chat app.

Furthermore, XChat's message deletion feature seems to be borrowed from Telegram, offering options for "Delete for me" and "Delete for everyone."

Finally, features mentioned before XChat's launch, such as one-click import of X contacts and social graph, seamless integration of Grok AI, X Money payments, and Cashtags, are currently not available.

Of course, it's only been one day since XChat's launch. It still has plenty of time for trial and error and iteration. Let's see how it develops!