iWorld
aha unveils its content line-up, 40 titles in plan for May
Mumbai: The regional OTT platform, aha has announced on Thursday a stellar content slate for the month of May, which includes 40 titles for their Telugu section.
The new titles will provide 100 percent local entertainment to the people globally. The slate, directed by some of the industry’s best filmmakers, will include regional programming as well as the most popular Hollywood films, which will be available in the Telugu section of aha. Viewers will be able to watch international titles, which include, Sam Raimi’s Spiderman series, the Men in Black series, Django Unchained, Black Hawk Down and others.
Overall, the platform will make over 30 Hollywood films available in Telugu to their audience.The launch of the regional slate in May also ensures that the platform maintains the innovative and diverse content library with the continuation of Telugu Indian Idol, one of the emerging local talent shows hosted by Sree Ram Chandra, with actress Nithya Menon, music composer Thaman, and singer Karthik as its judges.
The other high profile reality show that will continue in the month of May will be the second season of the super hit reality game show Sarkaar, hosted by Pradeep Machiraju. The season started on 29 April.
Fahad Fasil’s Thondimuthalum Drikasakshiyum, a national winning film is set to premiere as “Dongata”. The film will exclusively premiere on the platform this week on 6 May from 12 am.
Speaking on the launch for the month, aha’s ceo Ajit Thakur said, “We at aha are focused on offering diverse content that appeals to all age groups. The platform is expanding and diversifying itself by creating an original slate and streaming highly popular Hollywood films in the local language. We have recently launched a stunning Tamil slate in association with immensely talented creators. However, our stint in curating and creating Telugu content for the local audience has already made aha, a reliable platform for accessing Telugu entertainment.”
iWorld
X launches XChat messaging app on iOS with calls and encryption
Standalone app marks shift from “everything app” vision, adds E2E messaging.
MUMBAI: From one big app to many small chats, X seems to be splitting its ambitions. X has rolled out its standalone messaging app, XChat, to iOS users, opening up a new front in its evolving product strategy. The app allows users to connect with existing X contacts through private and group messages, file sharing, as well as audio and video calls. The launch follows a limited beta phase, where the platform tested the product with a smaller user base to refine the experience. Now available publicly, XChat marks a notable pivot from earlier ambitions championed by Elon Musk to turn X into a single “everything app” combining messaging, payments, commerce and more.
Instead, the company under xAI ownership and backed by SpaceX appears to be building a suite of standalone applications, each targeting specific use cases while expanding its broader ecosystem.
At launch, XChat includes end-to-end encrypted messaging, PIN-based access, disappearing messages, and features such as message editing, deletion for all participants, and screenshot blocking. The company has also said the app is free from advertisements and tracking mechanisms, positioning it as a privacy-first alternative in a crowded messaging space.
However, security claims around the platform are likely to face scrutiny. Earlier iterations of XChat drew criticism from experts who argued it fell short of established encrypted platforms like Signal. With the wider rollout, the app is expected to undergo fresh evaluation to assess whether those concerns have been addressed.
Beyond messaging, XChat will also house X’s Communities feature, which is being discontinued on the main platform due to low usage and spam concerns. Migrating these users could provide an early boost to adoption, effectively turning XChat into both a communication and community hub.
The move underscores a broader recalibration at X less about cramming everything into one app, and more about spreading bets across multiple touchpoints, one message at a time.
