X, formerly known as Twitter, has rolled out voice and video calls, according to reports by The Verge. Users on the platform received a notification upon opening the app, stating, “Voice and video calls are here.”
The update also includes a new toggle switch within the app’s settings, labeled “Enable Voice and Video Calling.” This option allows users to “turn on the feature and select who you feel comfortable using it with.”
Users can choose to enable voice and video calls only for people in their address book, those they follow, verified users, or everyone. Once selected, a call can be initiated by opening a direct message with another user and choosing the phone icon in the top right corner of the screen, then selecting either a voice or video call.
While X has not officially announced the feature, the company hinted at it with a cryptic post asking, “Are you ready for it…?” shortly before its appearance. X’s owner, Elon Musk, has long alluded to adding voice and video calls to the platform as part of his vision to make it an “everything app.”
Musk recently stated that the feature would be available on iOS, Android, Mac, and PC without the need for a phone number.
It’s still unclear how widely X will roll out voice and video calls or whether non-premium users will have access to them.
In the past month, Chris Messina, the inventor of the hashtag and an advocate for open-source initiatives, discovered that X’s code suggests users will need to subscribe to X’s Premium to use it. X did not immediately respond to The Verge’s request for comment.
Musk also mentioned imposing an annual fee on all users to access the basic system, and he has already started making users in New Zealand and the Philippines pay one dollar.
