X video, audio calling officially launched: How to use, other details

X, previously known as Twitter, has quietly rolled out the long-anticipated feature of audio and video calls for its users. Although an official announcement is yet to be made, this development comes on the heels of a cryptic teaser from X owner Elon Musk. He wrote “ready for it…?” soon after the notification started showing up.

Some users have received the notification on X about the arrival of the feature. It reads, “Audio and video calls are here!” Additionally, within the app’s settings, a new “Enable audio and video calling” toggle has also been introduced, allowing users to customise their preferences. The feature enables users to decide who can reach out to them via audio and video calls, with options to limit access to people in their address book, those they follow, verified users, or a combination of these categories.

To initiate a call, users can simply open a direct message (DM) with another user, locate the phone icon positioned in the top right corner of the screen, and then choose between audio or video call options. Musk has stated that this feature will be available on iOS, Android, Mac, and PC, without the need for a phone number.

The feature is currently showing up to not many people leaving it unclear if it will be Premium exclusive or available to all. X has taken most of the useful features under its premium subscription so chances are that this feature too shall be available to only those who pay for it.

Elon Musk recently also announced to charge users an annual fee to access the platform. X has already commenced this approach in select regions, with users in New Zealand and the Philippines being charged $1 per year. The company states that “this will evaluate a potentially powerful measure to help us combat bots and spammers on X, while balancing platform accessibility with the small fee amount.”