Elon Musk's X will include voice and video calling soon

Video and audio calls will be introduced by social media site X, formerly known as Twitter, as its owner Elon Musk rushes to create a "everything app" to beat down rival Threads, which is owned by Meta Platforms (META.O).

According to Musk's post on X on Thursday, users of Apple's iOS, Google's Android, and personal PCs would not require a phone number to use the features.

He did not provide a launch timeline.

Musk indicated he will transform the platform into a mega app offering a range of services from peer-to-peer payments to chat and social networking after renaming Twitter as X.

The moves reminds of the omnipresent WeChat application developed by Tencent (0700.HK), which is a part of Chinese daily life.

Musk is working to modify how news links show on the platform, a move that might limit the reach of news publishers. Musk continues to lead product development at X despite naming a new CEO in May.