iWorld
Discover engaging stories and adventures on discovery+ this July
Mumbai: discovery+ has brought a blend of docuseries, stories, and original content that promises to engage, entertain, and educate. This month’s lineup features a mix of gripping true crime stories, historic explorations, survival challenges, and much more. The lineup also features three titles from EPIC’s catalogues. So whether you’re a fan of celebrity feuds, exploring the mysteries of the past, or enjoying embarking on culinary escapades, discovery+ has got you covered.
Highlights for July’s content lineup:
Crime and investigation
● Taylor Swift vs Scooter Braun – Bad Blood | 4 July: The $300M feud between Taylor Swift and Scooter Braun made headlines. But is Taylor bravely standing up for artistry and fighting the misogyny of the music industry, or has Scooter Braun been unfairly framed for what was just a business deal?
● Deadly Influence – The Social Media Murders | 24 July: Social media influencers seem to have it all — money, celebrity, power. But in these shocking true crime stories, there is a horrifying dark side to the fame, which reveals how these online dreams can quickly become blood-soaked nightmares.
History
● Ekaant – India’s Abandoned History S1 | 5 July: India is known for its remarkable architecture and serene landscapes. Its rich history is steeped in mystery its vastness lends itself to several stories and urban legends. Discover the abandoned roads and valleys of India’s historic locations and more.
Adventure
● Naked and Afraid S10 | 19 July: Two strangers choose to take on the Everest of survival challenges. They’ll have no water, no food, and no clothes, but they must find a way to work together and survive in the wilderness for 21 days – Naked and Afraid.
● Lakshya 1971 | 24 July: Discover the elusive story of the Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971. Harman Singha uncovers the Indian Air Force’s closely guarded tales of men, machines, and missions.
● In the Eye of the Storm | 30 July: This series reveals recent natural disasters as they happened in real-time through footage captured by eyewitnesses who found themselves in the wrong place at the right time and boldly held up their camera phones to capture the eye of the storm.
Auto
● The Royal Enfield Story | 5 July: Royal Enfield is one such legendary brand with a unique story: a vintage motorcycle company that has an English pedigree but an Indian upbringing. Discover how the world’s oldest motorcycle company has legions of fans and followers.
Lifestyle
● Selena + Restaurant | 17 July: After working with the world’s top chefs, Selena Gomez is raising the stakes! She heads out to work in Los Angeles’ hottest restaurants, where she’ll be put through her paces and must learn fast to create a dish good enough for the restaurant’s menu.
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.
