Microblogging platform X, formerly known as Twitter, has announced plans to introduce a video call feature on the app soon.
This was confirmed by X CEO, Linda Yaccarino, who during a recent interview said that soon, users on the platform will be able to make video chat calls without having to give their phone number to anyone on the platform.
In her words
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“You look at video and soon you will be able to make video chat calls without having to give your phone number to anyone on the platform”.
The video call feature is poised to redefine social interactions, enabling users to engage face-to-face without divulging their confidential details to strangers.
However, Yaccarino did not give much detail on when the video call feature will be rolled out. It remains unclear if video calls on X would be limited to only users who have blue subscribers, or would be made available to all users.
There are speculations that only Blue Subscribers might likely be the only ones to access the feature because several newly rolled-out features on the platform are only available to subscribed users, which is also a way Elon Musk intends to drive more subscription rates.
The addition of a video call feature on the social networking platform, is another significant step taken by Musk, as he is on a mission to turn X into an “everything app”.
The announcement came as a revelation to the online community and technology enthusiasts alike, as X continues to expand its offerings.
Like video calls, many new features have only been proposed and have not yet launched on X, or are in beta with certain users. New additions to the platform since Elon Musk took over Twitter last year include creator subscriptions, posts that can be up to 25,000 characters, a Substack-like Articles tool, and the ability to upload long-form videos.
Online financial tools is another major aspect of X’s transformation into everything app. Recently, the company started looking for collaborators to develop a stock-trading hub, similar to Robinhood, within the app.
It also plans to become a digital wallet or online banking service, similar to the super-app WeChat, where people will be able to use X to send and receive payments, either to content creators on the site or outside third parties.
During the interview, Yaccarino also highlighted the company’s plans to enable payments between users, friends, and creators.
She said,
“The rebrand represented really a liberation from Twitter. A liberation that allowed us to evolve past a legacy mindset and thinking. And to reimagine how everyone, how everyone on Spaces who’s listening, everybody who’s watching around the world. It’s going to change how we congregate, how We entertain, how we transact all in one platform.”
Elon Musk’s recent rebranding of Twitter as X is a step toward his goal of developing an “everything app.” Musk’s vision is for X to mark the spot for all user’s digital needs, from chatting with friends to ordering groceries, watching videos, and managing their finances, all on one platform.
Essentially, X wants to be a fusion of many apps used by individuals, such as WhatsApp, Pay Pal, and Instagram, amongst others. The intended goal of X is to simplify daily tasks by saving users the time and effort needed to use multiple platforms.
Through partnerships with third-party servicers, X will create an ecosystem where users can switch between different tasks, without having to leave the app or install any others on their devices.