iWorld
Free streaming app Popcornflix launches on Amazon Fire TV
MUMBAI: Free movie and TV streaming service Popcornflix has rolled out its app on Amazon Fire TV.
With this launch, Popcornflix is now available on a total of 10 different over-the-top (OTT) devices in the US, as well as on mobile and the web. Ten million users have downloaded Popcornflix so far.
Popcornflix offers more than 2,000 free movies and television series on an ad-supported basis. Among the programs available on Amazon Fire TV are over 50 TV series, including Cheaters, The Man Show with Jimmy Kimmel and the thriller series ReGenesis staring Ellen Page.
Also available for free are feature films such as Monster starring Charlize Theron, In Hell with Jean-Claude Van Damme, Henry’s Crime with Keanue Reeves, family classics like The Big Comfy Couch, as well as award-winning international cinema.
“We want our audience to be able to watch Popcornflix from all major OTT devices, so we are really happy to add Amazon Fire TV to the pool of choices. We are also very pleased with the app design. It’s exceptionally clean and sleek, making for an easy and high quality user experience,” said Popcornflix executive vice president David Fannon.
“We are thrilled to add Popcornflix and their free movies and television series to Amazon Fire TV. Amazon Fire TV is the best place to watch TV shows and movies and Popcornflix gives customers even more free content to love,” added Amazon Appstore vice president Steve Rabuchin.
Popcornflix is an ad-supported platform wherein TV shows and films include pre-roll, spot ads and banner ads, offering content and advertising partners a great opportunity to connect with a next-generation TV and movie audience that prefers to stream their content wherever and whenever they choose.
Popcornflix is also available on Roku, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Sony PlayStation PS4 and PS3, Google TV, Android, iOS, Windows 8, the web and on many leading Smart TVs.
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.
