X just closed the gap between its two mobile apps. On Monday, the Elon Musk-owned platform shipped a completely rebuilt Android version, now live on the Google Play Store, according to TechCrunch AI. The rewrite caps a project that ran nearly a year, and X isn’t calling it a routine update.
Head of product Nikita Bier described it as “one of the largest engineering projects” in the company’s history. The app was built from scratch, not patched. “It’s faster, smoother and more reliable. But most of all: it will enable us to build new features at lightning speed,” Bier wrote on X.
What actually changed
X says the new Android app improves the fundamentals that had been lagging for years:
- Faster loading and smoother scrolling
- More reliable notifications
- A cleaner foundation for shipping future features
Context matters here. The old Android app had fallen well behind its iOS counterpart. TechCrunch AI reports that at one low point last year, the app couldn’t even load X posts when users tapped a link. That’s not a minor bug. That’s a broken core experience on the platform most of the world uses.
Why this matters
Android dominates global smartphone share, especially outside the US. Neglecting it meant X was quietly bleeding usability in exactly the markets where it needs growth. A rebuilt app gives the company a real shot at pulling back users who left, or never bothered, because the experience was rough.
What stands out is the timing. Bier noted X had one of its biggest weeks ever for Android downloads last October, which is part of why the rebuild became a priority. The company put together an Android “dream team” last August to reshape the experience. Demand was there. The product wasn’t keeping up.
This also fits a broader pattern at X. The company has been shipping standalone products lately, including X Money and X Chat, each given its own app. A stronger Android base makes that expansion easier to sustain.
The rough edges
Bier was honest that the work isn’t finished. Still on the to-do list:
- Better performance on older Android devices
- Support for Spaces, X’s live audio feature
- The new video editor, react-with-video, cashtags, and custom timelines
Those features are coming to Android “soon,” but they’re not in the box today. So if you’re on Android and rely on Spaces, hold your expectations for now.
What to expect next
Existing Android users can grab the new app by updating through the Google Play Store. The bigger story is what a solid foundation enables. If Bier’s “lightning speed” claim holds, feature parity between Android and iOS could arrive far faster than the year it took to reach this point.
The real test is whether the rebuilt app actually retains users, not just downloads. You can read the full details at the original source.