X Shakes up Social Media Landscape with Premium Subscriber-Only Features

• X

Last month, the CEO of X, Linda Yaccarino, confirmed the inclusion of video calls in the app's evolution into an "everything app." The news sparked widespread interest among users and industry experts alike. However, a recent revelation has added a new dimension to this development. Both audio and video calls will be exclusive features for X Premium members, according to the new code found in the X app.

In the constantly evolving world of social media, X app takes a bold step, making its audio and video call features exclusive to premium subscribers.

Exclusive Features for Premium Users

The discovery was made by tech veteran and investor Chris Messina within the app's code. The new feature will enable users to opt for audio and video calls from verified users, those they follow, or people in their address book, based on their preference. This opt-in feature is expected to elevate messaging experiences for premium subscribers.

It's worth noting that the code displays a warning message when a user tries to send a direct message to someone else, stating that audio and video calls are only available with a premium subscription. The message also encourages users to subscribe to X Premium (previously known as Twitter Blue) to access these features and other improvements, such as verification, fewer ads, the ability to edit posts, support for longer tweets, and higher rankings in search results and conversations.

Challenges Ahead for X

Despite the allure of these features, X has faced challenges in promoting X Premium. Independent research suggests that only about 1 million subscriptions have been sold so far, a fraction of the app's 550 million active users, as stated recently by X owner Elon Musk. In contrast, Snapchat's premium subscription, Snapchat+, has reached the 5 million user milestone. Furthermore, Meta's subscription, Meta Verified, is predicted to secure 12 million subscribers by early next year, according to analysts.

Following Musk's takeover, X has ceased responding to press inquiries, replying only to incoming press requests with automated messages. Nevertheless, this move by X is likely to cause ripples in the social media sphere and could influence the strategies of other major platforms.