iWorld
Family Man season 3 becomes Prime Video India’s most-watched series of 2025
MUMBAI: Raj and DK’s The Family Man season 3 has stormed to the top of Prime Video India’s charts, becoming the platform’s most-watched series of 2025 in its first week. The spy-action thriller has not only outpaced its earlier instalments but also eclipsed every other title on the service this year.
The series was trending in the top five in more than 35 countries, including the UK, Canada, Australia, the UAE, Singapore and Malaysia and reached 96 per cent of Indian pincodes during its launch week, marking the franchise’s strongest opening yet.
Prime Video India’s director and head of originals Nikhil Madhok, said the latest outing underlined the show’s enduring pull. “The gripping story, exceptional performances and Raj and DK’s signature quirk continue to draw ever more audiences,” he said. “Season after season, the series sets new records.”
Creators, directors and writers Raj and DK said they were “deeply grateful” for the fervent response. “Even after a four-year wait, audiences have embraced the show with overwhelming enthusiasm,” they said. “It reaffirms their faith in our effort to make each season bigger, better and more engaging.”
Produced under the duo’s banner, D2R Films, season 3 marks the return of Manoj Bajpayee as the battle-worn spook Srikant Tiwari. He is joined by Jaideep Ahlawat and Nimrat Kaur, alongside returning cast members Sharib Hashmi, Priyamani, Ashlesha Thakur, Vedant Sinha, Shreya Dhanwanthary and Gul Panag.
Written by Raj, DK and Suman Kumar, with dialogues by Sumit Arora, the season is directed by Raj and DK, with Suman Kumar and Tusshar Seyth also stepping behind the camera.
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.
