iWorld
Stephen King’s The Long Walk steps onto digital screens
MUMBAI: One of Stephen King’s most chilling stories has found a new audience at home. The Long Walk has made its digital debut in India and is now available to rent across Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV and YouTube for Rs. 149, following its release on December 8.
Set in a stark future where survival depends on never slowing down, the film follows 100 teenage boys forced into an annual endurance contest with brutal rules. Walk faster than three miles an hour or face warnings. Collect three, and you are eliminated for good. As the road stretches on, friendships form, nerves fray and every step becomes a gamble between hope and fear.
Adapted from King’s early novel, the film is directed by Francis Lawrence, best known for The Hunger Games franchise. It stars Cooper Hoffman, David Jonsson and Mark Hamill, who bring emotional weight to a story that is as much about human connection as it is about cruelty.
After opening in Indian cinemas on September 12, 2025, The Long Walk earned strong reviews from critics and audiences alike. Now, viewers can take the journey from their sofas, no stamina required, just nerves of steel.
The Long Walk is streaming now on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV and YouTube.
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.
