Soon, make video, voice calls on X without phone number: Elon Musk

Elon Musk on Thursday announced that X, formerly known as Twitter, would be rolling out a feature for video and audio calls. This is part of the tech billionaire’s plan to make X the “everything app”.

In a tweet on August 31, Musk said users will soon be able to make audio and video calls through X without needing a phone number. He also said the calling feature will work across operating systems, including iOS, Android, Mac, and PC.

X, he said, is "the effective global address book". Here's his post explaining what makes this feature unique:

In May, Musk rolled out several features for X, including replying to any message in a thread and using any emoticon to react. Back then, he had also announced the plan to introduce calls.

“With latest version of app, you can DM reply to any message in the thread (not just most recent) and use any emoji reaction,” he tweeted on May 10.

“Release of encrypted DMs V1.0 should happen tomorrow. This will grow in sophistication rapidly. The acid test is that I could not see your DMs even if there was a gun to my head,” he said.

“Coming soon will be voice and video chat from your handle to anyone on this platform, so you can talk to people anywhere in the world without giving them your phone number,” Musk added.