XChat, X’s standalone messaging app, was launched to the public on Friday. Initially released for iOS devices, the app enables users to message their X contacts, share files, make audio and video calls, and participate in group chats.

The company began publicly testing XChat earlier this year with a small group of beta users to gather feedback on the new experience.

XChat is a central part of the company’s broader strategy, which positions the social network as a springboard for additional services such as messaging and payments. The payments feature is also being tested as a separate app, though it has not yet been released to the public.

However, X’s decision to spin off part of its platform into a standalone app marks a departure from owner Elon Musk’s earlier vision of turning X into an “everything app” — a single destination for messaging, payments, creator content, shopping, AI, and more.

Instead, xAI — Musk’s artificial intelligence company, which owns X and is itself owned by his other firm, SpaceX — is now rolling out a suite of apps designed to create more consumer touchpoints for its services.

At launch, XChat supports messaging and calling, along with several privacy-focused features.

These include the ability to edit or delete messages for everyone in a chat, enable disappearing messages, and block screenshots. X says the app contains no ads or tracking mechanisms.

The company also claims that all messages are end-to-end encrypted and protected by a PIN. However, security experts have previously questioned the company’s encryption claims.

Beyond enabling private and group chats, XChat will also become the new home for X’s Communities.

The company decided to shut down the Communities feature, citing low usage and high levels of spam.

The timing of the move could give XChat an early boost in downloads as existing community members transition to the new app.