Twitter, now known as 'X', launches audio, video features: How to use them

Earlier in February, 'X' owner Elon Musk had said that in the near future, he would discontinue his phone number and only use 'X' for texts and calls

Elon Musk-owned microblogging site 'X' (formerly known as Twitter) launched new features, including audio and video calling options, the platform announced on Thursday.

"Audio and video calling are now available to everyone on X! Who are you calling first?" the social media site said.

Following the announcement, Musk also shared a post on the platform, saying that 'X' users will soon have the option to have their pinned posts be visible to all their followers. "A change is coming to our recommendation algorithm that will ensure that all your followers see your pinned posts. This only applies to one pinned post every ~48 hours to prevent gaming of the system," the CEO said.

Musk has been endorsing the audio, video features on the platform for a while now. Earlier in February, he even claimed that in the near future, he would discontinue his phone number and only use 'X' for texts and calls.

The features now make the platform an alternative option to Meta's WhatsApp and other similar applications, which also allow internet-based audio and video calling, a highly popular feature among the users. The development appears to be in sync with Musk's vision to turn 'X' into an "everything app" like China's WeChat.

How to use audio, video calling features on X?

The use of features on the application is currently limited to mutuals. The prerequisite is to have interacted with a certain follower at least once on the application's messages.

The users will also have the option to change the settings related to the features to control who can call them. The feature was earlier available to iOS users and to those who had a valid 'X' premium subscription.

To use these features, one has to open their 'X' app and move to the DM or direct messages section. A phone icon should appear, from where the users can tap the icons and make the calls to converse. The recipient will be intimated about the incoming call via a notification.