The social media giant X, which was originally known as Twitter, have made massive changes since billionaire Elon Musk took over a year ago. Now, a new feature which allows users to make audio and video conversations with others through X was unveiled on 25 October.
The application’s settings now include a new “Enable audio and video calling” toggle which permits the user to turn the function on and then select who they are comfortable using it with. It also provides a plethora of customisation options that make it possible for individuals to select from whom they accept calls.
One can choose to accept audio and video calls from verified users, people they follow, and those in their address book or from all three. A person can initiate a call by opening a direct message with another one by clicking the phone symbol located in the upper right corner of the screen and selecting between an audio or video call.
Early version of video & audio calling on 𝕏 https://t.co/aFI3VujLMh
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 25, 2023
The call icon appears in the upper right corner of the screen when one is conversing with someone else on the app just like it does with Instagram and WhatsApp.
ring ring pic.twitter.com/1WemXRhFZf
— Andrea Conway (@ehikian) July 7, 2023
X didn’t formally announce the feature’s introduction, however, the official account seemed to hint at it moments before it started to surface with a mysterious message.
ready for it…?
— X (@X) October 25, 2023
Elon Musk, the chairman and CTO (Chief Technology Officer) has long expressed his intention to turn the platform into an “everything app” which includes the addition of voice and video interactions. He recently declared that “no phone number needed” access to the functionality would be possible on PC, Mac, iOS and Android devices.
The audio and video calling feature will mean that Twitter will now directly compete with WhatsApp of Meta and Facetime of Apple in the sector.
Video & audio calls coming to X:
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 31, 2023
– Works on iOS, Android, Mac & PC
– No phone number needed
– X is the effective global address book
That set of factors is unique.
It’s still unclear how extensively the platform has made audio and video calls available or if it’s only offered to Premium subscribers. Creator of the hashtag and supporter of open-source software Chris Messina discovered last month that X’s coding implied users would need to join up for X’s Premium membership in order to take advantage of the function.
The CEO of the business, Linda Yaccarino announced earlier in August that native calling services would soon be available to social network users. This would permit users to make audio or video conversations without disclosing their phone numbers. She stated that the option is going to be accessible through the “Direct Message” (DM) menu and that the platform would put in place certain safeguards to prevent users from receiving unsolicited calls.
Adding these new services is a big move for X to help draw in more users and boost the microblogging platform’s engagement rate, especially since other social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram already have audio and video calling capabilities.
Additionally, Elon Musk proclaimed that all users would have to pay an annual fee to access the platform with customers in the Philippines and New Zealand already having to pay $1 for one year. He has already modified the features of the social networking site several times since he acquired it. He pronounced during the summer that users would no longer be able to block accounts on the platform. Moreover, he developed the premium Blue membership plan which confined access to the feature previously known as Tweetdeck to Blue customers only.
