X's new Android app is here: What has changed?
What's the story
X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, has launched a completely rebuilt Android app. The new version comes nearly a year after Elon Musk's company first announced its plans for the revamp. The decision was made due to the underwhelming performance of the Android app compared to its iOS counterpart.
Enhanced experience
New app promises improvements in loading times, scrolling
The new Android app for X has been developed from the ground up. The company promises improvements in loading times, scrolling, notifications, and more.
Nikita Bier, head of product at X, had previously said that the social network was assembling an "Android dream team" to redefine user experience on the platform.
Popularity spike
Surge in Android downloads last year prompted app revamp
In October last year, X witnessed one of its biggest weeks ever for Android downloads. This surge was a major reason why the company prioritized developing a new app.
Bier described this effort as "one of the largest engineering projects" in X's history, emphasizing that the new Android app was built from scratch instead of being an update to an existing version.
Future plans
New app will allow X to roll out new features
Bier promised that the new Android app will be "faster, smoother and more reliable." He also said it will allow X to build new features at lightning speed.
The company has been rolling out several new features in recent months, including X Money and X Chat, which were launched as standalone apps.
User base expansion
Revamped Android app could attract more users to platform
The launch of the new Android app could lure more users from global markets, where Android is the dominant smartphone platform.
This could lead to an increase in downloads or a return to X after years of neglect on the platform.
Last year, issues with the Android version were so severe that it couldn't even load X posts when users clicked links.
Ongoing improvements
Bier acknowledges areas still needing improvement
Despite the major overhaul, Bier acknowledged that there are still some issues to be resolved.
These include improving performance on older Android devices and adding support for Spaces, X's live audio feature.
He also revealed that other features like a new video editor, react-with-video feature, cashtags, and custom timelines are coming soon to Android.