Elon Musk’s XChat App Is More Like Facebook Messenger Than Signal

Elon Musk has been there On Friday he also wrote a criticism of his competitors after the launch of The XChat programan automated system for deploying X users. “Signal, WhatsApp, Telegram, and iMessage all have a serious security issue,” read the message Musk repost, in the section. “XChat is the only safe and secure app.” Encryption experts I spoke to at the launch of the launch expressed cautious skepticism about XChat’s execution and defended other communication platforms, such as Signal, as solid options.

One of XChat’s red flags is that users must link to an existing X account to log in and start messaging. “I don’t doubt that, because the more information you put together about a person, the more you can see what they are doing,” says Maria Villegas Bravo, a consultant at the Human Rights Council. Electronic Privacy Information Center. Bravo considers Musk’s past actions on other programs to be worrisome and self-serving.

Last year, when Musk unveiled XChat as a modified, hidden message on X, security experts asked the ability to store users’ private keys on X servers instead of using a device, like Signal does. “Given XChat’s history of security risks, I would hesitate to use this feature until it is well received externally,” says Cooper Quintin, the company’s chief technology officer. Electronic Frontier Foundation.

When Musk wants the conversation to be about which messaging app is better—XChat vs. Signal vs. WhatsApp-that’s the wrong comparison. After downloading XChat and moving on, there is another, smaller, chat app that reminds me: Facebook Messenger. That app you might have on your phone for texting your grandma sometimes? Exactly. Instead of launching a sleek, well-maintained messaging app, Musk abandoned the development of the web that included text messaging.

Late Launch

When the XChat group wrote earlier this month about the major release of the program, the “expected” launch date listed on the Apple App Store website was April 17. The date changed several times before the release, changing from the original date to April 23, then April 24. The program also showed April 25 and April 27 as launch dates, before unexpectedly falling on Friday. (An official launch date for Android has yet to be announced.)

During this opening period, the appropriate program did not always appear when searching for its name. The app, which was renamed “XChat App,” despite being made in the Russian language and not associated with Musk, rose to seventh place on Apple’s charts for free downloads on the social media platform. “Scam program,” read a user review, “This is not real XChat.”

When the XChat app finally arrives, its installation seems a little random. Initially, people in the US could use the app, while those in the UK could not. “The UK should be soon; it had one tip,” wrote Nikita Bier, head of sales at X, in response to frustrated posts on social media. When the first downloaders also complained about the confusion during driving, Bier told them to “blame Apple” and the requirements of its software.

First Shows

When I first downloaded the XChat app, I didn’t know who to message first. Looking at mine iMessage record, none of the top five friends and family I text with regularly have X accounts. So, on top of that, XChat felt more relevant to my specific needs, putting aside any privacy concerns.

I got lost trying to find someone, anyone to message me on XChat, I spent my afternoon going through old DMs and decided to restart the previous three chats. After I sent my nudges, a pop-up appeared in the chat, “This conversation is now saved end-to-end.” Although I didn’t really need it because no one texted me when I was testing the XChat app – I just got heartache and flame emojis on my voicemail.