X, previously known as Twitter, is trialing a significant design modification aimed at retaining users on its platform rather than directing them to external websites. Under Elon Musk’s guidance, the social media platform is testing a new method for displaying links on iOS, ensuring that engagement features—such as like, reply, and repost buttons—remain visible even after a user clicks on a link. At present, when users select a link in a post, it opens in a full-screen web view that obscures the original tweet, often leading users to abandon the app and not return to engage with the initial post.
By minimizing the original post to the bottom of the screen instead of allowing the browser to take over completely, X aims to maintain user engagement within its environment. This adjustment is part of a larger strategy that aligns with Musk’s long-term vision of evolving X into an ‘everything app.’ The intention is to develop a platform where users can consume content, make payments, communicate, and interact—all without leaving the app. Engagement with posts featuring external links has consistently been problematic for both users and creators, as such posts generally perform worse than those containing only text or images. The company’s new interface design seeks to mitigate this issue by easing the navigation away from X.
‘We’re testing a new link experience, starting on iOS—to make it easier for your followers to engage with your post while browsing links.’ Many creators have expressed that posts with links often reach fewer users due to the web browser covering the original post. In conjunction with this interface experiment, Musk announced that X is also revamping its recommendation system. He disclosed that the company intends to remove ‘all heuristics’—the criteria that currently dictate which posts users see based on likes, replies, and other engagement metrics. Instead, X will increasingly depend on Grok, the in-house AI model.
Musk stated, ‘Grok will literally read every post and watch every video (over 100 million per day) to match users with content they are most likely to find interesting.’ This AI-driven strategy strives to comprehend content contextually, emphasizing meaning over conventional engagement indicators. The shift towards AI-powered content understanding has been a consistent focus for X since Musk’s acquisition. By training Grok to deeply analyze both text and video content, X aspires to provide users with a more tailored feed that reflects authentic interests rather than just viral trends. These changes could also benefit smaller accounts, as Grok’s AI may genuinely prioritize relevance and quality, potentially extending the reach of creators with smaller followings beyond traditional engagement-driven constraints.
Although the implementation of these changes remains in the testing phase, Musk noted that the complete transition to the AI-enhanced recommendation model is anticipated to occur in ‘four to six weeks.’ If successful, X could transform how social platforms manage external sharing while enhancing user retention, effectively blurring the lines between open web access and a self-sustaining ecosystem.
