"Video and Calls Possible on X" Musk's 'Super App' Vision Unfolds

"X, Will Become an Effective Global Address Book"

Voice and video calls are expected to become available soon on X (formerly Twitter), the social networking service operated by Elon Musk.

On the 31st of last month (local time), Musk announced through his X account, "No phone number is needed. X will become an effective global address book." He explained that the feature would be available on major platforms such as the smart operating systems iOS and Android, as well as PC. However, he did not specify the exact release date of the calling feature, only saying it is "coming" soon.

This is not the first time X has hinted at introducing a calling feature. Earlier, in July, X product designer Andrew Conway shared a screenshot on his account showing the feature in action. The screenshot showed video and voice call options added to the top left corner. The introduction of the calling feature appears to be part of Musk's plan to realize a "super app."

Elon Musk. [Photo by AP Yonhap News]

Musk expressed his intention to develop a super app when he acquired Twitter. In October last year, he wrote on his X account, "Buying Twitter is a catalyst to create 'X,' the app for everything." Musk has previously argued that a super app offering a wide range of functions such as messaging, product payments, and remote vehicle hailing is necessary, and that Twitter should become a social networking service with many users like China's WeChat or TikTok.

Earlier the day before, X announced changes to its privacy policy to collect users' biometric information. Regarding the new privacy policy, X stated, "With users' consent, biometric information may be collected and used for safety, security, and identification purposes." However, it has not been disclosed exactly what biometric information X intends to collect.

Through the new privacy policy, X explained that it can show users more relevant advertisements and assist with job recommendations, among other things.

Meanwhile, after acquiring X at the end of last year, Musk laid off about two-thirds of the entire workforce. As a result, the number of employees dropped significantly from 7,500 to around 2,500. In connection with this, X is reportedly facing about ten lawsuits.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.