Social media platform X, previously known as Twitter, is taking down its Communities feature. The company introduced a new chat feature called XChat at the same time. Nikita Bier, Head of Product at X, confirmed these changes on April 22, 2026.
Users noticed that the Communities tab started disappearing from their mobile apps and web browsers. The feature launched in 2021 under Twitter allowed people to make private groups based on shared interests. Many active Communities received a warning to save their data before the shutdown.
Head of Product Nikita Bier Confirms Communities Shutdown and New XChat Launch
Nikita Bier shared the news on his official X account. He wrote that the company decided to replace Communities with something better for conversations.
“Communities helped people find their people. But we learned that group chats work better for real time talks. XChat is faster and more direct.” – Nikita Bier
XChat works like other messaging apps but lives inside X. Users can make chat rooms with up to 250 people. The feature supports images, videos, and links. Chat creators can control who joins and what members can post.
The new feature also includes moderation tools. Chat owners can remove messages or block users. X plans to add end to end encryption for private chats by August 2026.
How XChat Differs from the Old Communities Feature
Communities focused on longer discussions similar to Reddit. People posted threads that stayed visible for days. XChat works like instant messaging where messages disappear from the main feed after a few hours.
Communities required a moderator to approve new members. XChat lets any member invite others. Communities had separate timelines. XChat messages appear directly inside the main X app interface.
The old Communities feature had around 15 million active users at its peak in 2024. X data shows that only 4 million people used Communities regularly in March 2026. Engagement dropped by 65 percent over 12 months.
XChat already gained 2 million users within the first 24 hours after launch. Many former Community members moved to the new chat feature. Early feedback shows people like the faster response times.
Technical Issues and User Reactions During the Transition
Some users reported problems during the switch. The X support team received over 50,000 complaints about missing chat history. Elon Musk, owner of X, replied to several users promising fixes within 48 hours.
Common issues included:
- Disappeared messages from converted Community threads
- Invite links not working for some Android users
- Notification delays for new chat messages
X engineers fixed the Android invite bug by April 23, 2026. The team continues working on message restoration for affected accounts. X recommends users to log out and log back in to refresh their chat list.
One user from Texas posted about losing three years of Community discussions. Another user from the UK said XChat works better for their book club. The reactions remain mixed across the platform.
XChat Release Info: Global Availability and Access Details
XChat is now available worldwide for all X users. The feature works on iOS version 24.0 and above, Android version 12 and above, and all web browsers.
USA and Canada: Full access started on April 22, 2026 at 9 AM Eastern Time
United Kingdom and Europe: Rollout completed by 2 PM GMT on April 22
Australia and New Zealand: Access arrived on April 23, 2026 at 10 AM AEST
India: Available as of April 22, 2026 at 8 PM IST
Rest of the world: All users received the update within 36 hours of launch
No subscription fee applies to use XChat. Users need an active X account with email verification. New accounts must wait 7 days before creating chat rooms. This rule prevents spam and fake accounts from flooding the feature.
X confirmed that all existing Communities data will delete permanently on May 15, 2026. Users can download their Community posts through the X data export tool. The company added a special Communities archive option on April 20 to help with the transition.
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What Saved Data and Exported Files Include
The Communities archive download includes every post, reply, and media file. Users also receive member lists and moderation logs. Files come in JSON format ready for import to other platforms.
X recommends downloading data before May 10 to avoid server slowdowns. Over 800,000 users already requested their archives since the announcement.
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