In the previous month, X’s CEO, Linda Yaccarino, officially announced that the app formerly known as Twitter would be incorporating video calls as part of its transformation into an all-encompassing platform. Recent discoveries in the X app’s code indicate that it will support both audio and video calls. However, this feature will not be accessible to all X users; it will be exclusively available to those with an X Premium membership.
These revelations were brought to light by Chris Messina, a seasoned tech professional turned investor, who examined the code within the X app. According to the current description of the feature, X users can choose to receive audio and video calls from Verified users, individuals they follow, or contacts in their address book, depending on their preferences.
The feature’s description highlights its opt-in nature, encouraging users to “elevate messaging with audio and video calls” and select who they are comfortable using it with.
Additionally, the code contains references to a warning message that appears when a user attempts to send a direct message (DM) to another user, explaining that “audio and video calls are a premium feature” and enticing them to “subscribe to gain access.” This means that users will need to subscribe to X Premium, formerly known as Twitter Blue, which includes various enhanced features such as verification, reduced advertising, post editing, support for longer posts, improved search and conversation rankings, and more.
As of now, X has struggled to make a compelling case for X Premium. Independent research suggests that the company has sold approximately 1 million subscriptions, as reported by researcher Travis Brown, who has been tracking the product’s performance on GitHub. In contrast, Snapchat’s premium subscription service, Snapchat+, recently surpassed 5 million users, and analysts are projecting that Meta’s subscription service, Meta Verified, will have 12 million subscribers by early next year.
It’s worth noting that X has ceased responding to requests for comments since Elon Musk took over ownership, opting to reply only with automated messages to incoming press inquiries.
