X's standalone messaging app XChat is now listed on the App Store

Last year, Elon Musk announced XChat, a new encrypted messaging system within X, positioning it as a more secure alternative to competing platforms like Signal and Telegram. The app has been in testing since then with little update, until now. The official XChat account on X has confirmed that its standalone messaging app is coming to iPhone and iPad, with a release set for April 17.

An App Store listing for the app is already live, showing a design preview and a detailed icon. The listing shows a file size of 175.8MB and requires iOS 16.0 or later.

For those not caught up, XChat differs from the existing DM system on the main X platform. It is a dedicated environment focused entirely on private communication, something the platform makes clear with its official tagline: "your encrypted chats deserve their own app."

The messaging app is built in Rust with Bitcoin-style encryption and includes end-to-end encryption (E2EE), ensuring only the sender and recipient can access message content. XChat will also operate without advertisements or user tracking. The app will also include features commonly found in modern messaging services, like disappearing messages, screenshot blocking, video calling, group chats, and file sharing.

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XChat positions itself as a direct rival to messaging giants like WhatsApp, Telegram, and Signal, standing out for its strong features and security. For instance, Telegram supports large groups and bots, but only its Secret Chats are end-to-end encrypted. Signal, on the other hand, offers end-to-end encryption by default and collects minimal data, though its feature set is more limited. The app also fits neatly into Elon Musk's broader vision of keeping users within the X ecosystem for everything they need, similar to recent additions like AI image editing and automatic translation to its AI chatbot, Grok.

XChat can be pre-ordered from the App Store ahead of its release next Friday. There's no word yet on Android availability, but given WhatsApp's dominance in the Android ecosystem, it will be a challenge for XChat to compete there. We could still see heavy X users make the switch, especially with its push as an everything app.