Elon Musk’s X has introduced X Numbers, a new feature that allows people to connect through X Chat without exchanging their personal phone numbers. The feature also allows users to communicate without necessarily following each other on the platform.
X Numbers are optional private codes linked to an individual’s X Chat account. Users can create a code and share it with selected people, who can then use it to start a conversation through X Chat.
What are X Numbers?
Despite the name, an X Number is not a mobile phone number. It is a private access code designed specifically for communication through X Chat.
Users can decide whether to create and share an X Number. Once an active code has been shared, another person can use it to initiate a conversation even when the two accounts do not follow each other.
X says the feature can also support audio and video calls, depending on the recipient’s call settings.
Unlike a standard message request, conversations started through an X Number appear in the recipient’s main Chat inbox on a computer. This gives users another way to receive messages from people they do not follow.
How to create and manage an X Number
Users can create an X Number from the X Chat section. After opening X Chat, they may be asked to enter their Chat PIN. They can then open the inbox dropdown menu and select “Number” to generate their private code.
Once created, the code can be shared with people the user wants to contact them through X Chat.
X also gives users control over their code after it has been created. An X Number can be disabled at any time, preventing people from using it to start new conversations.
Users can also refresh their X Number to generate a new code. Once refreshed, the previous code can no longer be used to start new conversations. This may be useful when a user has shared the old code with too many people or wants to stop contacts using it.
Privacy controls for X Numbers
X has included privacy controls because an X Number may be visible to people who have previously exchanged direct messages with the account owner. According to the company, those contacts could potentially view the code and share it with others.
Users can enable the “Hide from others” option to prevent existing contacts from seeing their X Number. X also notifies users when someone contacts them through their private code.
The feature is separate from the safety numbers used by X Chat to verify identities during encrypted conversations. X’s Help Centre does not specify how many characters or digits an X Number contains.
X expands its messaging platform
The launch of X Numbers is part of X’s broader effort to develop X Chat as a standalone messaging service.
In April, X released a standalone application called XChat on the App Store, allowing people to communicate using their existing X accounts. The company has continued adding communication features as it develops X Chat beyond traditional social-media messaging.
X has also been expanding into other areas, including payments through X Money, which was launched for eligible users in the US.
With X Numbers, users now have another way to exchange messages and make audio or video calls through X Chat without revealing their personal mobile phone numbers.