X is ‘pausing’ encrypted DMs

X customers can now not ship encrypted messages on the platform. The corporate mentioned in that it is “pausing” the function “whereas we work on making some enhancements.” Customers will nonetheless be capable to view previously-sent encrypted chats, however will not be capable to ship any new ones.

Thus far, encrypted DMs have been accessible solely on messages between verified customers who’re mutual or who’ve beforehand accepted DMs from one another. Screenshots of the function from X’s labeled it as “early entry.” (Notably, there have been quite a lot of different essential caveats to X’s encryption, even when it was working, together with the truth that encryption was by no means accessible for group chats, multimedia messages or metadata .)

It is unclear when the function shall be accessible once more or if the “pause” has something to do with “XChat,” the corporate’s yet-to-be-launched chat platform. X workers have been about XChat, which is able to reportedly function encrypted direct messages, for a while. Screenshots from leakers counsel XChat might have extra safety features like chats.

Formally, although, X hasn’t revealed a lot about XChat or what is going on on with the present model of encrypted DMs. X’s in-app inbox was one of many options that skilled quite a few points final week after a site-wide outage — presumably as a result of a fireplace at an Oregon facility utilized by the corporate — brought on for the service. Updates on the corporate’s developer point out a few of these points have but to be resolved.

X did not reply to a request for remark.