iWorld
‘Kota Factory’ director Raghav Subbu to take Vidnet Masterclass
MUMBAI: Kota Factory director Raghav Subbu will be present at the Indiantelevision.com’s Vidnet Masterclasses, being hosted at The Westin, Mumbai, on 4 October, to discuss the process of directing hard-hitting and compelling web series.
The Vidnet Masterclasses are being conducted by Indiantelevision.com as an extension to its online video and content summit, with the aim to facilitate the creativity of young and aspiring content creators who are willing to leave a mark in the digital world. The Masterclasses will host directors & editors, and writers, who will be talking to the audience directly about the craft of video creation.
Subbu is a celebrated director in the digital world and has created series like Kota Factory (2019), TVF Pitchers (2015) and Truth or Dare with Dad (2016). A collaborator with TVF since 2013, he has also directed several comedy sketches and mini-series. His next web series ‘Hostel Daze’ is slated to release late this year.
Other speakers at the Masterclasses include Gourav Gopa Jha, Dhruv Sehgal, Jaya Mishra, Puneet Krishna, and Danish Aslam.
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.
