X (Twitter) is gradually introducing audio and video calling to users who don’t pay for its premium subscription service, previously known as Twitter Blue. Enrique Barragan, a company engineer, shared this news on the platform. Initially available for iOS users last year, the feature allowed paying subscribers to call others through the app, aiming to expand X into the “everything” application Elon Musk envisions. While the capability was extended to Android devices earlier this year, non-paying users were still restricted from making calls.
Elon Musk stated by the end of January that X would offer audio-video calling to all once the company ensures its reliability. Although subscribing to X Premium was required to make calls via the phone icon in DMs, the recent update grants non-paying users the ability to make calls. The official support page now states that all accounts can make and receive calls, with the condition that both parties have had prior contact via Direct Messaging.
In addition to the rollout announcement, Barragan disclosed that users can now receive calls from anyone on the app if desired. Upon checking our DMs’ Settings menu, audio and video calls were automatically enabled, with the option to limit calls to people we follow. The “Everyone” option is also available for more adventurous X users to select.
