iWorld
StarsportsIndia tops the chart for week three on Twitter Brand Index
MUMBAI: The third edition of Twitter Brand Index, which lists the five most interacted brands during Cricket world Cup 2015 on the basis of Re-Tweets, Favourites and Replies. The Twitter Brand Index recognises across all brands that are talking about cricket on the platform during the given week.
@StarsportsIndia: The official broadcaster of ICC World Cup Star Sports has been leading the conversation on #CWC15 this week with their popular videos series that started with the India vs Pakistan match. Each Indian victory has meant a new video.
The latest came out right after India won their match against the UAE. Using the now viral hashtag #MaukaMauka the ads have managed to capture the imagination of the Indian cricket fan.
Alongside the thematic campaign Star Sports continues to connect fans over its hashtag #WontGiveItBack – People can tweet to the handle with the hashtag and get the schedule of the matches in the cup.
https://twitter.com/StarSportsIndia/status/571623967896649729
@Lays_India: Lays climbed the charts this week by exciting cricket fans on Twitter with the hashtags – #LaysKePlays and #TicketKaGame. Both represent a contest and the winners of each are promised opportunity to watch the finals of the #CWC15 live in Australia. This week, @Lay_India asked people to tweet with the hasthtag #TicketKaGame to reveal what the contest was going to be. The more the tweets, the faster the reveal. #LaysKePlays asked users to Reply to the handle with creative uses of Cricket lingo and make it relevant to Lays.
https://twitter.com/Lays_India/status/570111683961552896
@HDFCLIFE: @HDFCLife also took up the contest route with their #MyTeamMyPride contest. Users were asked questions and people stood to win shopping vouchers. Needless to say the hashtag was able to bring the proud Indian Cricket Fan together to fight for some goodies.
https://twitter.com/HDFCLIFE/status/571574574078279681
@AltoK10: Alto K 10 is one of the many auto brands trying to connect with its audience during #CWC15. With a creative spin on their brand tagline ‘Chase Life’ Alto has engaged the Indian cricket fan under its #Chase campaigns across the hashtags #ChaseCricket and #ChaseMaster. They ran a popular #SorrySIr contest where they invited people to Tweet them with funny ideas for ways to skip college/office on match days. Using topical caricatures, contests and celebrating the team’s victory with fans – Alto K 10 got people to send them their selfies in blue to show support to the team – #Chasefie.
https://twitter.com/AltoK10/status/570964142179221504
@DairyMilkIn: Contests seem to be the flavour of the season. @DairyMilk got people to join in on the contest #FansOfJoy where they were asked to send in their #FansOfJoy pics to a phone number and grab their moment of fame in leading dailies. Apart from this there was a quiz where people stood to win Cadbury Dairy Milk hampers.
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.
