X pushes back XChat release from this Friday to April 23 [U: Delayed again]

Update 24/04/26 – 03:13 pm (IST): XChat has been delayed once again. The app was expected to go live on April 23, but the launch has now been pushed to April 27, 2026. According to @P4mui, the holdup is on Apple’s end — the app is still awaiting App Store approval, and could slip further if Apple takes more time.

This isn’t surprising, considering that just last month we highlighted how many developers are frustrated with delayed reviews for their apps on the App Store, likely due to vibe-coded apps flooding in.

Original article published on April 16, 2026, follows:

X has delayed the launch of XChat. The standalone messaging app was supposed to arrive this Friday, April 17. It’s now expected on April 23, 2026.

This silent delay was spotted by @Iorel_X, who posted a screenshot showing the new expected date on the XChat listing on the App Store.

The same was also spotlighted by @DanRichards0n on the X News community.

This comes right after X quietly rolled out voice notes to the XChat experience across iOS, Android, and web. You can read more about that here.

Testing for the dedicated iOS app started back in early March. The first TestFlight batch filled up almost immediately, which told you plenty about the demand building behind the scenes.

The whole idea of a separate XChat app first leaked in December 2025. Early leaks showed off what looked like a “liquid glass” UI or iOS. At the same time, xAI even launched XChat as a standalone website.

XChat is built to be a home for direct messages that lives outside the main X app entirely. It’s meant for chatting with anyone on the platform without having to dig through the regular interface. The company has been chipping away at this for months now, slowly adding polish like the voice notes last week.

X hasn’t said a word about why it moved, but it’s not surprising, considering Elon Musk’s companies have generally had a rough time meeting deadlines.

The delay gives X a few extra days to make sure the rollout actually feels solid. After all the buildup since last December, users are ready. We’ll know soon enough how smooth April 23 turns out to be.

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