Topline
X Chat, an update Elon Musk has promised for months that introduces encrypted messages to the social platform, appears to be rolling out widely to users, though many are airing grievances, alleging the feature is laggy, and that conversations and links aren’t loading properly.
The new encrypted chat feature on X replaces direct messages, a holdover from Twitter. (Photo by Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
NurPhoto via Getty Images
Key Facts
Many X users tweeted this week their direct messages feature—a holdover from when X was Twitter—has been replaced with a “Chat” function, an update Musk has said will include encrypted messages like Signal or Meta’s WhatsApp, file sharing and vanishing messages.
X users with access to the Chat feature are prompted to create a four-digit PIN code when they access it for the first time, an update that has confused some users, who also lamented other changes to the direct messaging feature.
Some users allege messages in the Chat function do not display properly, with one user, who said the update is “horrific and needs to be fixed immediately,” claiming all her messages show up as dead links instead of text.
Other users have criticized how the Chat function appears to no longer support voice messages, though Musk has said it will allow users to make video and audio calls.
Some users have said the feature is laggy and have reported difficulty accessing their conversations, particularly group chats, with some users saying they can’t change group chat names or add users.
Various posts have slammed the Chat feature as “unusable” and “horrible,” with some posters taking aim at Musk for making what they say are unnecessary updates to the social platform.
Forbes has reached out to X for comment.
Is X Chat Secure?
Some cybersecurity experts have voiced concerns with X Chat’s security protocols, TechCrunch reported in September. Security researcher Matthew Garrett told TechCrunch the company could possibly decrypt messages unless X uses hardware security modules to store chat passkeys. Although an X engineer said in a post the company does use hardware security modules, Garrett said the company has not provided proof. “Until that’s done, this is ‘trust us, bro’ territory,” Garrett told TechCrunch. TechCrunch also noted X acknowledges some shortcomings on its chat support page, including that it currently does not protect against “man-in-the-middle attacks,” meaning a “malicious insider,” or X if required by law, could compromise encrypted messages. X says on its support page it is working on a security check that will allow users to verify which devices have access to private conversations, which it says will make these attacks difficult.