X Communities in 2026: What X Announced and What's Left
X announced the end of X Communities in April 2026, pointing them to XChat group chats joinable by link and giving them until 30 May 2026 to move. X has published no notice that the shutdown was completed: its Communities help article (archived July 2026) carries no retirement notice, and its Premium page still lists “Create a Community” (3 October 2026).
This page sets out what X said and when, how Communities worked according to X’s own help article, and the alternatives on X, Threads and Bluesky. Communities are one of several Twitter-era features X has changed or retired; the Twitter is now X hub lists the others.
Table of Contents
- Are X Communities shutting down?
- What did X announce, and when?
- What replaces X Communities?
- How to find communities on X (as X documented it)
- What happens to Community posts?
- What are the alternatives to X Communities?
- FAQ
Are X Communities shutting down?
X said they were. X’s head of product, Nikita Bier, announced XChat group links as the way to organise communities on 22 April 2026 and, a day later, gave Communities until 30 May 2026 to move. No X page announces that the shutdown was completed.
Checked against X Help Center: Communities on X.Shutdown not confirmed by X
This page cites only X’s own posts and help pages, and those stop short of the outcome, so check your own app before relying on any guide, this one included.
Why is X ending Communities?
Bier gave the reason in a reply on 23 April 2026: Communities “were used by less than 0.4% of users” yet “contributed to 80% of spam reports, financial scams, and malware on X”, and X was “going to be investing heavily in XChat”. Checked against Post by Nikita Bier (@nikitabier), Head of Product at X (23 April 2026)
What did X announce, and when?
X’s head of product made the announcement in posts on 22 and 23 April 2026, and X’s help pages had not caught up in their latest copies. Dates are in UTC, as X records them.
| Date | What happened | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 22 April 2026 | Bier announces “two product changes for organizing communities on X”, starting with joinable XChat group-chat links “with support for 350 members per chat (and growing)“ | Checked against Post by Nikita Bier (@nikitabier), Head of Product at X |
| 23 April 2026 | Bier: “You’ll have until May 30th to transition to XChat”, with group-chat limits rising to 500 members and an aim of 1,000 | Checked against Post by Nikita Bier (@nikitabier), Head of Product at X |
| 30 May 2026 | Bier’s deadline for moving to XChat; no X page says what happened that day | Checked against X Help Center: Communities on XShutdown not confirmed by X |
| 22 July 2026 | Latest archived copy of X’s Communities help article: still published, no retirement notice | Checked against X Help Center: Communities on XArchived copy, 22 July 2026 View the archived copy |
| 3 October 2026 | X’s Premium page still lists “Create a Community” for Premium subscribers | Checked against X Help Center: About X Premium |
What replaces X Communities?
X’s named replacement is XChat group chats you join by link. You create a public link to a group chat and share it in messages or on your Timeline; anyone who asks to join is added only if an admin approves them. Group chat names and custom avatars are unencrypted and public.
Checked against X Help Center: About Chat.
Bier put group size at “350 members per chat (and growing)” on 22 April, then promised 500 members “tomorrow” and an aim of 1,000 “in the next couple weeks”. X’s Chat help page gives no member limit for these links, and its older Direct Messages article, as archived in September 2026, still says a group message can include up to 256 people. Checked against X Help Center: About Direct MessagesArchived copy, 6 September 2026 View the archived copy
The format changes too: Community posts were public, while a Chat group is a conversation that members join with an admin’s approval. For how Chat works, from message requests to its 4-digit PIN, see how to DM on Twitter (X).
How to find communities on X (as X documented it)
X’s Communities article, in its July 2026 archived copy, says you search for Communities from the Communities tab, which appears only once you belong to at least one, and that search works on web and iOS only. Otherwise, it says, you join by invite or by opening a Community someone shares with you.
In the X app on iPhone:
- Navigate to the Communities tab.
- At the top of the page, tap on the magnifying glass icon.
- In the search bar, search for Communities by name, description, and creator name and handle.
On x.com (computer):
- Navigate to the Communities tab.
- At the top of the page, click or tap on the magnifying glass icon.
- In the search bar, search for Communities by name, description, and creator name and handle.
Checked against X Help Center: Communities on X.Archived copy, 22 July 2026 View the archived copy.
X adds that not every Community appears in search results. Because X announced the move to XChat in April 2026, the tab may no longer appear in your app.
How joining worked
Open Communities were joined with Join, then Agree and join after reviewing the rules; restricted ones with Ask to join, which sends a request to the moderators. Either way, you needed a public account. Checked against X Help Center: Communities on XArchived copy, 22 July 2026 View the archived copy Creating one is still a listed Premium feature: “As a Premium subscriber, you can create a community on X,” says X’s Premium page. Checked against X Help Center: About X Premium For what Premium’s checkmark involves, see how to get verified on X.
What happens to Community posts?
X’s Communities article, last archived in July 2026, says your posts to a Community are not deleted if the Community is deleted, and that posts you made as a member stay in the Community after you leave. It doesn’t mention the April 2026 announcement, so it doesn’t say what happens to posts if Communities are switched off.
The same article says Community posts appeared on the Community page, in search, on your profile and in other timelines, like regular posts. Checked against X Help Center: Communities on XArchived copy, 22 July 2026 View the archived copy
If you ran a Community
Stick to what X documents:
- Move the conversation to a Chat group link. Create the link, share it on your Timeline or in messages, and approve each join request; the group’s name and avatar are public.
- Keep a copy of your posts. X’s downloadable archive of your account includes your posts, and the Communities article points members of suspended Communities to that archive for theirs. Checked against X Help Center: How to download your X archiveArchived copy, 1 October 2026 View the archived copy
What are the alternatives to X Communities?
On X, Lists and Chat group links each cover half of what a Community did: a shared timeline of chosen accounts, and a place to talk. Off X, Threads communities and Bluesky’s starter packs and custom feeds are the closest equivalents those networks document.
| Option | What it does | Source |
|---|---|---|
| X Lists | A custom timeline of posts from only the accounts on it; you can follow other people’s Lists and pin favourites next to For You and Following | Checked against X Help Center: How to use X ListsArchived copy, 17 September 2026 View the archived copy |
| XChat group links | A group chat people join through a public link, with an admin’s approval | Checked against X Help Center: About Chat |
| Threads communities | Public spaces built on topic tags and custom feeds, tested from October 2025 across more than 100 topics and out of beta since 16 June 2026 | Checked against About Meta newsroom: Introducing Threads Communities: Find Your People |
| Bluesky starter packs | Shareable invites, launched 26 June 2024, that recommend up to 150 people and up to 3 custom feeds (as of Bluesky’s June 2024 FAQ; the app now sets the limit remotely) | Checked against Bluesky blog: Introducing Bluesky Starter Packs |
| Bluesky custom feeds | Choose the algorithm behind your timeline from feeds built by Bluesky and third-party developers, under My Feeds | Checked against Bluesky Help Center (Zendesk): Moderation and Custom Feeds |
Joining a Threads community is public: Meta says joined communities are pinned in your feeds menu and tagged on your profile. Our guide to Twitter Lists covers creating and pinning them, and if your audience is moving to Threads, here’s how to schedule Threads posts.
If the conversation moves back to your own X timeline, here is what Outfeed can do there:
Schedule text posts to your X timeline with Outfeed AI
FAQ
Are X Communities shutting down?
X said so. On 22 April 2026, X’s head of product, Nikita Bier, announced joinable XChat group-chat links for organising communities, and on 23 April he wrote: “You’ll have until May 30th to transition to XChat.” X has published no notice that the shutdown was completed.
Why did X remove Communities?
X’s head of product, Nikita Bier, wrote on 23 April 2026 that Communities were used by less than 0.4% of users yet contributed to 80% of spam reports, financial scams and malware on X. He said X would be investing heavily in XChat.
What replaced X Communities?
XChat group chats joined by link. You create a public link to a group chat and share it in messages or on your Timeline, and people who ask to join are added only if an admin approves them. Bier gave 350 members per chat on 22 April 2026, then said limits would rise to 500, aiming for 1,000.
What happened to my X Community posts?
X’s Communities help article, in its July 2026 archived copy, says your posts are not deleted if the Community is deleted, and that posts you made as a member stay in the Community after you leave. It doesn’t mention the April 2026 announcement or say what happens if the feature is switched off.
How do I find communities on X?
As X’s help article described it in July 2026: once you belonged to a Community, a Communities tab appeared, with a search for Communities by name, description or creator, on web and iOS only. Otherwise you needed an invite or a shared link. After the April 2026 announcement, the tab may no longer appear.