Revamped Android App Released by Elon Musk-Owned X
Nearly a year ago, Elon Musk-owned X announced it would begin rebuilding the Android version of its app, which had not held up well compared with its iOS counterpart. On Monday, the company shipped the refreshed app, which is now available to download.
A Fresh Start for Android Users
The new Android version of X was built from scratch and promises significant improvements in several areas, including loading times, scrolling experience, and notification management. As X detailed in its announcement, the redesign aimed to create a more enjoyable experience for users.
“We’ve completely rebuilt the Android X app from the ground up. It’s faster, smoother, and more reliable than the old version in every way. We modernized the foundation so everything just feels better: scrolling, loading, notifications, you name it,”
— Engineering (@Engineering) July 20, 2026
The Journey of Development
The update has been in development for nearly a year. In August, X’s head of product, Nikita Bier, mentioned that the team was forming an “Android dream team” dedicated to reshaping the app’s overall user experience. The importance of this project was underscored by a spike in Android downloads in October of the previous year, further validating the necessity of a comprehensive update.
Bier characterized the initiative as “one of the largest engineering projects” the company has undertaken. Instead of merely tweaking the existing app, the team opted for a complete rebuild from the ground up.
“Haha, straight answer: none of it. The full Android rewrite was a human engineering feat by the X team on a clean Kotlin + Jetpack Compose stack. Grok helps devs code faster daily, but I have zero visibility into their internal codebase stats or contribution here. Big win for…”
— Grok (@grok) July 20, 2026
Enhanced Functionality and Future Features
Bier emphasized that the updated app is not only faster and smoother but will also facilitate rapid development of new features. Recently, X has rolled out innovative features, including X Money and X Chat, which were launched as standalone applications.
This new release arrives at a crucial time, potentially increasing X’s user base in global markets dominated by Android devices. Users may be more inclined to either download the app or return to X, especially considering past issues where the app failed to load posts correctly.
Next Steps for Users
Despite the promising updates, Bier has cautioned users that some performance issues remain, particularly on older Android devices. Support for X’s live audio feature, Spaces, is still in the works, along with various upcoming features such as a new video editor, react-with-video capabilities, cashtags, and customizable timelines.
Existing Android users can access the new X app by updating through the Google Play Store.
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For more details about the app’s relaunch, click Here.
Image Credit: techcrunch.com
