X rebuilds Android app from scratch after year-long effort
Faster, smoother, and built on Kotlin + Jetpack Compose stack.
Nearly a year after announcing a rebuild, Elon Musk's X has shipped a completely rewritten Android app built from scratch using Kotlin and Jetpack Compose. The overhaul was described by head of product Nikita Bier as "one of the largest engineering projects" in the company's history. The new app promises dramatically improved loading times, smoother scrolling, and more reliable notifications. This comes after months of severe platform neglect, where at one point last year the X app couldn't even load posts when users clicked links.
X prioritized the Android rebuild after seeing one of its biggest weeks ever for Android downloads in October 2025. The company assembled an Android "dream team" last August to reshape the experience. While the new app marks a significant improvement, Bier acknowledged remaining rough edges: performance on older Android devices still needs work, and support for Spaces live audio, the video editor, react-with-video, cashtags, and custom timelines are still coming soon. The existing app can be updated via Google Play Store.
- X rebuilt Android app from scratch using Kotlin + Jetpack Compose, calling it one of the largest engineering projects ever.
- The new app promises faster loading, smoother scrolling, and more reliable notifications after months of severe neglect.
- Spaces, video editor, and other features are still missing but planned for future updates.
Why It Matters
X prioritizes Android to regain users in global markets where Android dominates smartphone usage.