X has been making strides in further integrating Grok, Elon Musk’s AI, into the social networking app. Recent discoveries by independent app researcher Nima Owji have revealed some exciting new features that X is working on. These features include the ability to ask Grok about X accounts, use Grok by highlighting text in the app, and access Grok’s chatbot through a convenient pop-up on the side of the screen while continuing to use other parts of X.
Owji found that Grok could be accessed via a pop-up window on the right side of the screen while browsing X, similar to how users can check their DMs. This layout mirrors how other companies like Google and Microsoft incorporate chatbots into their productivity apps, making them easily accessible on the screen’s right sidebar. This new placement could enable X users to interact with Grok more frequently, whether they are posting on the app or exploring the timeline.
Moreover, Grok is being developed to become a more deeply integrated part of the X experience. Owji discovered that Grok could be used to research X user profiles and search terms found within X posts. For example, users may soon have the option to click a button to learn more about an X account, although the specifics of the information provided are not yet clear. Additionally, users will be able to search Grok simply by highlighting a word in an X post and clicking the “Ask Grok” button that appears below the word.
X introduced Grok to the app last year as a means to enhance paid subscriptions on the Premium Plus plan. However, with increased competition from other AI technologies such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini, X expanded Grok’s availability to mid-tier Premium subscribers in March. Despite this expansion, in-app purchase revenue for X has been declining, with $7.6 million in net revenue reported for May 2024, down from $8 million in April and $8.2 million in March.
Appfigures, an app intelligence firm, suggested that this revenue decline could be attributed to creators on X posting frequently but with little substance to boost views and income. Additionally, the firm noted that the Premium subscription price might be deterring some users. X faces increasing competition from platforms like Instagram’s Threads, Mastodon, Bluesky, and others that are developing text-first social apps of their own.
It is possible that X’s rebranding from Twitter is still impacting its user base, as some users continue to search for the app under its former name. Appfigures reported a 32% drop in X downloads on the App Store in May compared to a year ago, indicating a potential struggle in retaining and attracting users post-rebranding.
