X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, is set to discontinue its 'Communities' feature on May 30, 2026. The decision comes after the company identified low user engagement and a high volume of spam, scams, and malware originating from these groups. Replacing Communities will be 'Custom Timelines,' a new feature powered by X's AI, Grok, designed to offer personalized content feeds.
The Communities feature, launched in 2021 to facilitate user connections around shared interests, saw minimal adoption. Nikita Bier, X's Head of Product, stated in an X post that Communities were utilized by less than 0.4% of users but were responsible for 80% of spam reports, financial scams, and malware on the platform. Bier also noted that maintaining Communities consumed significant developer resources that could be better allocated elsewhere.
Introducing Grok-Powered Custom Timelines
The new Custom Timelines aim to provide a more tailored browsing experience. Instead of relying on keyword filtering, Grok reads and labels each post, assigning it to relevant topic feeds. This system, according to X, enhances accuracy as users engage more with specific subjects. Currently available to Premium users on iOS, the feature will later expand to Android.
Users will be able to select from over 75 topics, including diverse subjects like Formula 1, K-pop, cryptocurrency, and biotech. Key functionalities include the ability to pin up to ten topics to the home tab, rearrange them, and seamlessly switch between different feeds. X has also introduced a 'Snooze Topics' tool, allowing Premium subscribers on iOS and the web to temporarily mute categories such as politics or sports for 24 hours.
Creator Feedback and Platform Adjustments
The announcement to close Communities initially drew criticism from creators, prompting X to extend the migration deadline from May 6 to May 30. In response to user feedback, the platform also announced an increase in group chat limits, from 350 members to a planned 1,000 members.
From a business perspective, X is expanding its advertising inventory with this update. Every second slot within the new custom feeds will be reserved for advertisements. While platforms like Bluesky and Threads already offer similar curated feeds, X's integration of Grok for real-time post analysis marks its distinct approach to personalized content delivery.