Musk: X will offer video and audio calls in move toward super-app

USERS of X, the social network formerly known as Twitter, will be able to make video and audio calls through the platform without having to share their phone number, owner Elon Musk said in a post Thursday (Aug 31), in the latest expansion of services as he seeks to create an “everything app”.

He wants X to become more like Tencent Holdings’ WeChat, a messaging service turned super-app that offers everything from social media and video games to fintech. X chief executive Linda Yaccarino has said X will include features such as payments and banking. 

Musk, who bought Twitter last year for US$44 billion, said X will serve as an “effective global address book” for the new features and that users will be able to make calls through X on iOS, Android, Macs and PCs. 

The announcement came after the platform updated its privacy policy to include the collection of biometric data. X does not define what it considers biometric, though other companies have used the term to describe data gleaned from a person’s face, eyes and fingerprints. X also said it would gather information about users’ jobs and education histories.

Since acquiring Twitter, Musk has axed the signature blue bird logo and introduced a raft of changes, including reinstating formerly banned users and scrapping the ability to block accounts.  BLOOMBERG