Elon Musk said on October 31 that X is building a standalone messaging app called X Chat, featuring peer-to-peer encryption he likened to Bitcoin. The launch is expected in the coming months. He added that the app will not collect or share user data with advertisers.
Speaking during an appearance on the Joe Rogan podcast, Musk said the company has “completely rebuilt the entire messaging system—now it’s called X Chat.” He described the app’s security approach as “a peer-to-peer based encryption system, something like what Bitcoin has,” adding, “It’s very robust encryption; we’re testing it carefully.”
Musk emphasized that X Chat is being designed with privacy in mind, stating that it will not gather or pass user information to advertisers. He criticized competing services, singling out WhatsApp, for analyzing conversations to deliver targeted ads. In his view, if an app can tailor advertising to user content, it implicitly has access to what users write—information that could also be exploited by hackers.
X Chat is slated for release in the coming months. If delivered as described, the app would position X as a privacy-focused entrant in the messaging market, with attention now turning to the technical specifications and rollout timeline.