Elon Musk 在社群平台上将 XChat 推广为 Signal、WhatsApp、Telegram 与 iMessage 的安全对手，但文章将其描述为 X 的受限延伸，而非全新的加密讯息产品。他在反复批评竞品后推出此应用，然而专家依然持保留态度。上线前已有关切指出，XChat 将加密金钥存放在 X 伺服器，而非像 Signal 一样存于本机装置，因此多位隐私研究者表示会先等待第三方独立稽核后才会信任。该应用的推出流程混乱：App Store 最初显示预计于 4 月 17 日上线，后改为 4 月 23 日与 4 月 24 日，4 月 25 日与 4 月 27 日仍在列表，最后在 4 月 24 日星期五正式释出，而 Android 版本的时间仍未公布。
实际使用上，XChat 需先连接现有 X 帐号，这会缩减可通讯对象，降低多数使用者的实用性。评论者在 iMessage 上前五位最常通讯者都未有 X 帐号，因此一开始就觉得此应用很小众；区域可得性与注册流程也不稳定，美国先于英国可下载，后者问题被 X 归咎于 Apple。加密在日常场景中的价值有限：应用在开启旧对话时会显示“end-to-end encrypted”，但测试时多数对话没有回复，许多使用者仅回传爱心或火焰表情，而聊天工具本身也显得薄弱。
隐私宣称亦前后矛盾：商店页面写著「No tracking. Total privacy」，但其下方仍列出与你相关的联络人、识别码及使用资料，而且 XChat 的隐私权、服务条款、Cookie 政策都导向 X 的通用页面，而非专属此应用的文件。求助页面会以浏览器开启 X 的说明中心，XChat 内也有按钮将使用者回导至 X，本质上与 Facebook Messenger 类似，甚至都具备跨应用返回钮。专家认为 Signal 更适合高安全需求，WhatsApp 在广泛加密传讯方面更实用；文章结论是 XChat 对于已深度使用 X 的人或有用途，但在已碎片化的讯息市场中整体仍属小众且薄弱的产品。
Elon Musk promoted XChat on social platforms as a secure rival to Signal, WhatsApp, Telegram and iMessage, but the article describes it as a constrained extension of X rather than a new encrypted-messaging product. He launched it after repeated criticism of competitors, while experts remain skeptical. Before launch, concerns were raised that XChat stores cryptographic keys on X servers instead of on-device, unlike Signal, so several privacy researchers said they would wait for independent audits before trusting it. The app had a disorderly rollout: expected on Apple’s App Store for April 17, then shifted to April 23 and April 24, with April 25 and April 27 still shown before the actual Friday April 24 release, and Android timing still unannounced.
In use, XChat requires an existing X account, which narrows who can be contacted and limits practical utility for many users. The reviewer’s top five text contacts on iMessage lacked X accounts, so the app initially felt niche; searching and onboarding were also inconsistent across regions, with U.S. availability before the U.K., and X later blaming Apple. Encryption appears limited in day-to-day value: the app can mark revived old conversations as “end-to-end encrypted,” but most chats were silent during testing, many users receiving only heart or flame emojis, and chat features looked underdeveloped.
Privacy claims also look inconsistent: the storefront says “No tracking. Total privacy,” yet the app page still lists data linked to the user, including contacts, identifiers and usage data, while XChat’s privacy, terms and cookie pages route to generic X documents rather than app-specific policy. Help content opens in X’s environment, and a button inside XChat returns users to X, mirroring Facebook Messenger behavior and its cross-app return path. Experts said Signal is best for strong security and WhatsApp stronger for broad encrypted reach; the piece concludes XChat is mainly useful for people already centered on X and likely a weak, insular entrant in an already fragmented messaging market.