X has announced a temporary suspension of its encrypted direct messaging (DM) feature to implement unspecified improvements. The company confirmed that while users can still access their existing encrypted messages, they will be unable to send new ones during this period. Alongside this has come a new Chat tab, currently in beta, that appears to be the new version of this encrypted chat that comes with its own password protection system.
Introduced in 2023, the encrypted DM feature was limited to verified users and came with several constraints. Encryption was only available for one-on-one text messages between verified users who either followed each other or had prior messaging interactions. The feature did not support group chats, multimedia content, or message metadata encryption. Additionally, it lacked protections against man-in-the-middle attacks, and encrypted conversations did not carry over to new devices.
The pause in the encrypted DM service coincides with ongoing speculation about X’s plans to replace its traditional messaging system with a new platform called XChat. Leaked information suggests that XChat may offer enhanced privacy features, including encrypted messaging, disappearing messages, and expanded file-sharing capabilities. However, the company has not officially confirmed these details or provided a timeline for the rollout.
X has not specified when the encrypted DM feature will be reinstated or what specific improvements are being made. The company has also not responded to requests for further information regarding the suspension – which may mean that the feature is either being overhauled, was subject to a major bug, or is being used as the baseline for further DM improvements to better suit the “everything app” goal.
