For close to two decades, Twitter users have been able to send private messages on the platform via Direct Messages, or DMs.
That feature gave birth to the phrase “sliding into the DMs,” which has become a major part of the pop-culture lexicon.
But all good things must come to an end.
According to Mashable, Direct Messages will be changed to XChat. This is one of the many changes to the site since Elon Musk acquired it in 2022. In 2023, he officially changed the name from Twitter to X, eventually removing the recognizable blue bird logo to a black and white X. In 2024, the domain was changed from Twitter.com to X.com.
On Tuesday, X software engineer Zach Warunek, mentioned that changes were coming.
“No, not like request messages but like the whole entire DM’s will be gone soon,” he wrote.
Another X employee named Ellis Driscoll clarified that DMs aren’t being removed, but “being rewritten.”
On Wednesday morning, Independent app researcher and web developer Nima Owji revealed that many X employees and engineers have already started using XChat and that it will replace DMs.
One user posted photos on the platform of the new feature, which appears to be similar to Meta’s WhatsApp.
“Here is XChat!” the person wrote. “Encryption with (four) digit pins, ability to send files. New generation of X DMs, all encrupted.”
When word got around of the pending change, people took to the site to express their opinions.
“XChat? That doesn’t sound right. Ew,” one person wrote.
“Xchat sounds like an after dark AIM chat room,” wrote another.
One user warned her followers to “not XChat” her “it sounds gross.”
“Xchat sounds like the kind of app I would feel embarrassed about having on my phone,” another person weighed in.
So far X has not addressed the change or revealed when it will take affect.
The post XChat to replace DMs on X, users have thoughts appeared first on KTLA.
