Elon Musk's X Could Soon Get Audio, Video Calling Feature, But There's A Catch

Elon Musk-owned X (formerly Twitter) is set to receive a new audio and video calling feature. On the downside, the feature will be limited to specific users.

In an interview with CNBC's Sara Eisen last month, X CEO Linda Yaccarino mentioned that X users will soon be able to engage in video chat calls without sharing their phone numbers.

In October last year, Musk tweeted that a voice and video calling feature is headed to X, further noting that the calls would work on iOS, Android, Mac & PC without requiring a phone number.

X is getting a new feature

Regrettably, the audio and video calls feature might not be available to all X users. Recently leaked screenshots of part of X's code that are linked to the feature suggest only X Premium subscribers could have access to audio and video calls.

Investor Chris Messina shared screenshots of X's code on Meta's Threads app, which implies users could be able to take audio and video calls from people who are in their address book.

Aside from this, X users will be able to take audio and video calls from people they follow and other verified users. Furthermore, the screenshot suggests that the feature will enable users to opt in or out and decide whether or not they want to receive calls from a specific user.

"Take messaging to the next level with audio and video calls. Turn the feature on and then select who you're comfortable using it with," the feature's description says in the code screenshot.

What to expect from the new feature?

Another screenshot suggests the feature could be part of the X Premium subscription and a paid service. When someone tries to send a DM (direct message) on the app, they will see a warning that says that "audio and video calls are a premium feature".

The user will be prompted to subscribe to gain access. In other words, users will have to pay for X Premium to use this feature. To those unaware, X Premium was previously called Twitter Blue. It offers a slew of coveted features like verification, post-editing, longer posts and fewer ads.

Despite assuring that X will fight for maximum freedom of speech under the law, Musk hasn't been able to convince many users to get X Premium. Research by software developer Travis Brown shows X has managed to only sell about 1 million subscriptions.

To recap, Musk recently said the app has 550 million people using it every month. For comparison, Snapchat's premium service Snapchat+ has over 5 million users. The word on the street is that Meta's subscription called Meta Verified will have 12 million subscribers in 2024.

It is also worth noting that X has stopped responding to requests for comments since Musk bought the social media platform. Instead, they send automatic messages to reporters who reach out to them.

To make things worse, the social media giant has been facing a drop in downloads since its rebranding as X.