X update to reveal accounts' location may arrive this week

X might be just days away from rolling out a feature that’s been in the works for over a month. The platform is getting ready to display country-based location data on user profiles, and according to head of product Nikita Bier, it could happen within 72 hours.​

The conversation picked up when political commentator Katie Pavlich called on Elon Musk to make country-based location information mandatory on public profiles. Her concern? Foreign bots allegedly fueling discord in America. Bier responded directly to the request with a simple promise: “Give me 72 hours”. That was on November 16, so the feature could start appearing as early as Wednesday this week.

This isn’t entirely new territory for X. Bier first teased the idea back in mid-October, saying the platform wanted to help users “verify authenticity” when reading content. The initial rollout started with X team members, including Bier himself, whose profile now shows “Connected via United States App Store” and “Account based in United States” details when you check the “About this account” page by tapping on the “Joined” date info. But I personally cannot see the flag in the profile just yet.

But the feature isn’t live for everyone just yet. The “About your account” setting is appearing in Privacy and Safety options for some users, with toggles to choose between displaying “Country” or “Region/Continent”. Some users, including myself, have even accessed the page through direct links, though the functionality remains disabled for most.

The response from users has been mixed. Some are pushing for additional controls, like the ability to block accounts from specific countries. Others have raised red flags about privacy and the potential for doxxing anonymous accounts, especially since VPNs can easily manipulate location data anyway.

Bier has acknowledged these concerns, noting that privacy toggles will be available — but opting out might itself be highlighted on user profiles. He also suggested that EU users, where speech restrictions carry legal consequences, might see “region” instead of specific countries to protect free expression.​

X originally announced this as part of a broader trust-building effort. Beyond location, the platform is testing displays for join dates, account access methods, and username change history. The TechCrunch report from October highlighted how these changes aim to give users better tools for assessing the credibility of accounts they encounter.

Whether this actually curbs bot activity or just creates new workarounds remains to be seen. But if Bier’s timeline holds, we’ll find out soon enough.