In a groundbreaking tweet, Elon Musk, the visionary entrepreneur and owner of ‘X’ (formerly known as Twitter), announced that users of the platform can soon engage in audio and video calls directly on X application.
Since his acquisition of Twitter last year, Musk has been tirelessly working to reshape the platform into an all-encompassing super app. His inspiration? WeChat, the immensely popular Chinese app that seamlessly integrates payment services, instant messaging, and social media features.
As part of this transformation, Musk is bidding farewell to the iconic Twitter bird logo, ushering in the era of ‘X’ with a series of enhancements aimed at turning it into the ultimate digital destination.
New Features on ‘X’
Musk has previously explored the idea of allowing users to conduct stock and cryptocurrency trading directly on the platform. Twitter had even partnered with platforms like eToro and TradingView, enabling users to act swiftly on financial information appearing in their timelines. However, these features saw a sluggish rollout and failed to generate significant excitement among users.
Musk’s latest announcement, on the other hand, represents a shift towards a more self-reliant innovation, potentially boosting user engagement. Notably, the new service will eliminate the need for a phone number during registration. Users can connect with others using their ‘X’ usernames alone, effectively transforming the platform into a global contact directory.
While ‘X’ currently offers a feature called “Spaces,” which allows multiple users to engage in audio calls, individual calling is a feature in development, further enhancing the platform’s communication capabilities.
More Like Instagram, Less Like Threads
Musk’s move to introduce audio and video calls on ‘X’ draws a parallel with Meta’s Instagram, which also allows users to make voice and video calls. Nevertheless, this development sets ‘X’ apart from Twitter alternatives like BlueSky and Threads, both vying for the same territory as ‘X’ in their quest to become super apps.
Musk’s tweet also reassures users that the service will be accessible across various platforms, ensuring a seamless experience for Android and Apple device users, as well as those on PCs and Macs.
However, despite the promise of this feature, challenges lie ahead. Musk’s significant staff reductions following his takeover have left the company with fewer resources to develop new features. With numerous apps offering video calling capabilities, ‘X’ will need to offer something exceptional to attract new users and persuade existing ones to use it for personal communication.
Another potential hurdle to widespread adoption could be Musk’s commitment to ensuring the platform’s profitability. He may choose to incorporate this service within the reasonably priced Twitter Blue subscription, potentially limiting its accessibility.
To gauge the true impact of this new feature, we’ll have to wait and see how and when Musk rolls it out to the platform’s users.
