Billionaire tech entrepreneur Elon Musk has announced plans to launch a standalone messaging platform called “X Chat,” positioned as a rival to Telegram and WhatsApp. The app is expected to roll out in the coming months.
“On X, we’ve completely rebuilt the messaging infrastructure into what we’re calling ‘X Chat,’” Musk revealed during The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, which aired on Friday.
“It’s using a peer-to-peer-based encryption system, kind of similar to Bitcoin. It’s very good encryption; we’re testing it thoroughly.”
Musk said he expects the new messaging app to launch within a “few months,” emphasizing that it will be free from “advertising hooks.” He contrasted it with platforms like WhatsApp, claiming such services “know enough about what you’re texting to decide which ads to show you.”
“But that’s a huge security risk,” Musk warned. “If a platform knows enough to serve you ads, it already holds a lot of your information.” He added that those same “hooks” could potentially be exploited by hackers to access private messages.
Does WhatsApp read your messages?
Meta, WhatsApp’s parent company, maintains that it cannot read users’ private conversations. According to its FAQ, all messages, voice notes, media, and documents exchanged on the app are protected by end-to-end encryption powered by the Signal Protocol.
However, it’s widely understood that certain “metadata” — such as who you chat with, how often you communicate, and when — is not encrypted on WhatsApp. The platform also doesn’t automatically encrypt backup copies of chat histories.
In its FAQ section titled “Does WhatsApp collect or sell your data?” the company avoids a direct answer about data sales, instead stating: “We work with other Meta Companies to help provide, improve, and support each other’s services.”
It adds, “If you choose to integrate your WhatsApp experience with other Meta products, we will share some information with Meta to make this possible.”
X Chat will avoid such hooks, says Musk
Musk emphasized that X Chat won’t include these kinds of advertising “hooks.”
“I’m not saying it’s perfect,” he said, “but our goal with X Chat is to replace the old Twitter DM system with a fully encrypted platform where you can text, send files, and make audio or video calls. I think it will be the least insecure of any messaging system.”
He added that the app will be available both within the X platform and as a standalone download.
