Anyone you followed on Twitter can now call you on X and discover your IP

Elon Musk may want to turn his X platform into an ‘everything’ app, but recent updates, which introduced audio and video calling features and enabled them by default, have annoyed some users. Anyone you follow on X can call you and obtain your IP address, disclosing an approximate location.

By default, after the update, calls on the X app are enabled.

“By default, you’re able to receive calls from accounts you follow or have in your address book (if you’ve previously given us access to your address book),” the X support page reads.

And every call reveals both users' IP addresses to each other. However, there’s an option to enhance call privacy, which is disabled by default.

The new calling feature may be accessed from the messages tab on the X app, but it doesn’t work in the browser. Tapping on an existing direct message conversation or creating a new one allows you to tap the phone icon to initiate an audio or video call.

Some users on X do not seem enthusiastic about the evolution.

“Better change your settings quickly, or the spam bots are going to be calling you 24/7,” one user warned.

“I utterly hate the call features in all microblogging, messaging, and whatever apps. Why? They are constantly getting abused,” another user said.

X users were informed of the changes with a pop-up on the X app, leading to corresponding settings. However, if you happen to miss the message or close it too quickly, it can be confusing to find the settings and limit who can call you.

Techcrunch.com noted that X doesn’t mention encryption at all, meaning that calls are probably not end-to-end encrypted and may potentially be vulnerable to interception. They recommended switching off the feature completely.

How do I turn off the calling feature?

You can access the settings for audio and video calls from the Messages tab. Tap on the envelope icon on your app, then go to the settings by tapping the icon on the top right corner.

Here, you can disable the option “Enable audio and video calling.”

If you want to keep it enabled to certain users only, you can choose from whom you’re able to receive calls. The default option is the people you follow. However, you can limit that to the people in your address book or expand it to any verified user on X or everyone.

How do I stop leaking my IP?

Calls on the X app, by default, are routed peer-to-peer so that each party exposes its IP address to the other. This is a privacy risk, as an IP can be used for tracking and profiling, determining approximate geographical location, and potentially targeted attacks by cybercriminals.

However, in the X app settings, there’s also an option to enable “Enhanced call privacy,” which helps to protect privacy. Enabling it makes your IP address hidden from people you call and receive calls from.

“If either party has this setting enabled, a call between the two will be relayed through X infrastructure, and the IP address of any party that has this setting enabled will be masked,” the help page explains.

X also introduced voice messages. This feature can be accessed in direct messaging by tapping once on the record button to record the voice message. Taping again stops recording and allows you to review the message before sending.