The next step in Elon Musk’s plan to make X a “one-stop app for everything” is audio and video calls. The increasingly volatile social media owner reposted a message, revealing that some users now have an early release of the feature.
Audio and video calls are currently only available for iOS users. It is available to people in your address book (provided it is linked to account X) and to people you are following. There’s another switch, which only allows verified users (those who pay $8 a month) to call you.
Users, including some with the all-important blue checkmark, commented under the post that they hadn’t received the feature, even after an update, suggesting that the feature is still in A/B testing mode. There’s also no button to make a call, which technically means the feature doesn’t actually work, X is just laying the groundwork.
The feature should be available in Settings > Privacy & Security > Direct Messages > Enable Audio and Video Calls. The X support page states that only Premium subscribers will have this option. Musk commented in a user’s thread that the calls are still “a beta product, but it’s promising.”
—X (@X) October 24, 2023
Bringing audio and video calls to X, formerly known as Twitter, is an attempt to lure users away from Meta services like Facebook Messenger, Instagram Direct or WhatsApp. There are also many other messaging platforms that offer audio and video calls, which will make X’s attempt to position itself in this specific market an uphill battle.
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