Big changes are coming to Twitter including encrypted DMs, in-platform video and voice calls

Elon Musk has absorbed plenty of criticism over the chaos and confusion that has reigned over Twitter since he purchased the platform last October. But now he is looking to clean up the mess he has made and improve the site. Earlier today we told you that Musk said that he will purge inactive accounts. But the blockbuster news came later Tuesday when Musk tweeted that encrypted DMs will debut tomorrow, May 10th. He writes, "This will grow in sophistication rapidly. The acid test is that I could not see your DMs even if there was a gun to my head."

Musk also says that in the current version of the Twitter app, users can send a DM reply to any message in the thread, not just the most recent message. And any emoji reaction can be used. Even more exciting, Twitter subscribers will soon be able to make voice and video calls using their Twitter handle to anyone on the platform. Since you're making these calls using your Twitter handle, Musk noted that "you can talk to people anywhere in the world without giving them your phone number."

Twitter Spaces currently allows users to chat by voice using an audio stream. But those calls are public and are available for group chats. But the new voice and video call capabilities are meant for private conversations between Twitter subscribers.

The big question is whether Musk can overcome the problems he had running Twitter. What problems? Well, there was the long-running issue over how Twitter would handle the blue verification check mark, and the layoffs that left Twitter without enough warm bodies to keep the platform running smoothly. As recently as two months ago, Musk valued the company he paid $44 billion for at a figure less than half that amount.

But encrypting DMs and allowing users to make video and voice calls using their Twitter handles could just be the start of adding new features to the platform that will reverse the decline in Twitter's valuation. Musk recently discussed increasing the character cap on tweets to 10,000 and spoke about adding some "simple formatting tools." At last, Musk seems ready to focus on making the changes to Twitter that are needed to improve the user experience first before growing the bottom line.