The social networking platform X, formerly known as Twitter, is expanding its voice and video communication capabilities. Previously, this feature was only available to premium subscribers, but it will now be accessible to everyone on the platform.
X engineer Enrique Barragan announced the new expansion in a platform post, following Elon Musk’s promise in January to make the feature available to all users once it was sufficiently robust.
This move could bring the X platform closer to Musk’s goal of making it an “app for everything,” as he has repeatedly stated.
The call feature was added for iOS users last year, followed by Android users.
How does the feature work?
According to the platform’s official support page, voice and video call options can be managed from the direct messages settings.
From there, you will notice that by default, you can receive calls from accounts you follow or those in your address book, provided you grant X access to your address book.
To make a call to another user, both the caller and the recipient must have connected at least once via the platform’s direct messages (DMs).
It’s worth noting that the updated calling features are not immediately available to everyone. X is rolling out the feature slowly, likely in batches, and it seems to be activated automatically without prompt. If you do not wish to make and receive calls on X, you may need to log into the app and go to the direct messages settings to turn off the feature, according to Phone Arena.
X, formerly known as Twitter, has introduced several notable features to enhance user experience and functionality. One significant addition is the Edit Tweet feature, which allows users to edit their tweets within a 30-minute window, limited to five edits. This feature was initially available for internal testing and was later extended to Twitter Blue subscribers in specific regions to observe user behavior before a broader rollout. Another innovative feature is CoTweeting, enabling users to collaborate on tweets by inviting any public account that follows them to co-author a tweet, fostering interactive and collaborative content creation. X also introduced Notes, catering to the demand for longer content formats, allowing select users to publish extensive posts beyond the traditional character limit, with the capability to edit after publication. Additionally, X is testing Product Drops, a commerce-oriented functionality that lets users set reminders for upcoming product launches, bridging the gap between social media and e-commerce. These updates signify X’s commitment to evolving its platform to meet the diverse needs of its user base and expand its functionality beyond traditional social media boundaries.
