X, formerly known as Twitter, has been through several changes ever since Elon Musk acquired it. The tech billionaire has taken several steps forward, but many argue that he has taken more steps back. With this, however, X might be headed in the right direction.
X Video & Audio Calls
As the owner of the platform, Elon Musk has made his plans known about making X an "everything app" since the beginning. After implementing ridiculous policies, that vision is becoming more unclear to X users. However, the call feature might actually contribute to his goal.
The company has not officially announced it yet, but the feature is already appearing to select users. If you're among the people who have the feature, you'll get a notification stating "Audio and video calls are here!" upon launching the app.
There will be a toggle in the app settings that will allow you to enable audio and video calling, along with other settings such as selecting who can engage with you. You can choose to allow people in your address book, people you follow, verified users, or all of the above.
In a way, X has already announced the upcoming feature since before select users received the notification, the company published a post stating "ready for it...?" on the platform, as reported by The Verge, which is likely about the new call feature.
Since it has not been officially announced by X, there are still some details that are yet to be confirmed. For instance, it's still unclear whether non-Premium users can access it. There are signs that point to it being exclusive to Premium members.
Hashtag inventor Chris Messina posted a screenshot of X's code on Threads, showing that users will have to sign up for the Premium plan to use it. "You'll of course have to PAY for that feature. Because Skype is dead. #DeadTwitter" says Messina.
It Might Be Included in the $1 Subscription
Since we're all still waiting for the official announcement, we still don't know whether or not the feature will be behind a paywall. If it is, it might be included in the $1 subscription that X is planning to require for all new users who sign up.
If not, then the call feature might not be something that's as widely used as X planned. After all, there are several platforms that offer audio and video calling without users having to pay for a monthly or yearly subscription like Messenger, Discord, and more.
Adding the call feature would also lessen the potential backlash from the $1 subscription, which is starting off in the Philippines and New Zealand. The program is called "Not-a-Bot," as per Reuters, which is appropriately titled given the purpose behind it.
Musk hopes that a $1 yearly fee would make it more expensive for people to create bot accounts, which can help reduce if not eliminate automated accounts on the social media site. The annual fee will also be required to access X's basic features.
