X begins offering audio and video call functionality to non-paying users 

X is gradually initiating the roll-out of audio and video calling features to users who do not subscribe to its premium service formerly known as Twitter Blue. The announcement was made by Enrique Barragan, an engineer at the company, via a post on the platform. Twitter first introduced this feature for the iOS users last year as an exclusive benefit for its paying subscribers.

This step was in alignment with CEO Elon Musk’s vision of transforming Twitter into an “everything” application. Earlier this year, these capabilities were extended to Android devices, but they remained restricted to premium subscribers. However, Musk announced in January that Twitter would open up audio-video calling for all users once the company was confident about its robustness.

As things stand, users wishing to make calls via the Direct Messaging (DM) feature are still prompted to subscribe to Twitter’s premium service. However, those who receive the update will be able to place calls without a paid subscription. The official Twitter support page for this feature now declares that all accounts are enabled to make and receive calls, granted both users have interacted via Direct Messaging at least once. Prior to this update, this page stated that only premium subscribers could place audio and video calls.

Apart from announcing the roll-out, Barragan also revealed that users would now have the option to accept calls from all Twitter users. The audio and video call features were found to be already activated in our DM settings, configured, for privacy reasons, to only receive calls from followed accounts. Nevertheless, the option to receive calls from “Everyone” is already visible, suggesting its availability for the adventurous Twitter users.

The feature enabling calls to be placed over Twitter may, at first glance, seem like something users might only utilize inadvertently while navigating through a direct message. The added value of using Twitter for calls, as opposed other already established calling services, may not be immediately clear. The only apparent reasoning might be the fact that it does not require the sharing of a phone number. However, this kind of privacy is also achievable with other existing services.

In conclusion, non-subscription users of Twitter can now place phone calls over the platform. Whether this is a desired feature or not, it has officially been introduced.