X’s calling feature allows users to access their settings.
The social media site rolled out the calling feature to all X users on Wednesday, and a community note was quickly added to the official announcement warning of privacy concerns.
By default, the calls are “routed peer-to-peer such that each party’s IP address may be visible to the other,” according to X’s support page. Calls could only be placed through the app before for members of premium X.
This note caused some people to panic. That’s because your IP address (the unique number assigned to your device when it’s connected to the Internet) can be seen by anyone who calls you on your X.
Several posts urging users to turn off this feature went viral in the days following release. The calling feature is enabled by default. Therefore, you will have to adjust it yourself if you want to change it.
If you want to further protect your privacy, there are several options in the X settings.
Disabling calls on X completely
If you want to avoid calls on X completely, you can disable calls in three steps.
- Go to the Direct Messages tab.
- Click the settings icon in the upper right corner.
- Find the “Enable audio and video calling” button and turn it off.
Enable enhanced call privacy
For those who want to try out X’s calling features without worrying about having their IP address accessed, there are advanced privacy settings.
- Go to the Direct Messages tab.
- Click the settings icon in the upper right corner.
- Make sure voice and video calls are enabled.
- Locate the “enhanced call privacy” button and turn it on.
According to X, enabling this feature will mask your IP address during calls.
You can also control who can call you based on whether you follow them, whether they’re in your address book, and whether they’re verified.