Does XChat require iOS 26? Which iPhones and iPads are supported?

Yes — XChat requires iOS 26 or later on iPhone and iPadOS 26 or later on iPad. The App Store listing enforces this; older iOS versions will not see a download button at all, only a “requires iOS 26.0” notice.

What that means in practice. Any iPhone that Apple supports with the iOS 26 update can run XChat. That covers iPhone 11 and newer as of the iOS 26 release (Sept 2025). iPhone X, iPhone 8, and earlier models are cut off: they cannot install iOS 26, and therefore cannot install XChat. There is no backported build.

If you have an older iPhone. Your options are: (1) upgrade to a newer iPhone that supports iOS 26, (2) wait for the Android release later in 2026 if you own a second Android device, or (3) use X’s built-in direct messages on the main X app, which are not end-to-end encrypted by default but do work on older iOS versions.

Storage and network. The app is about 175.8 MB to download. You’ll also need a working network connection on April 23 to sign in and sync your X social graph. There is no offline install option — the app requires an active X account.

If you’re unsure which iOS version you’re running, open Settings → General → About → Software Version on your iPhone.