X seems to have quietly increased account reactivation time window following mass exodus

X seems to be giving users more time to change their minds about leaving. A recent user screenshot shows the app now allows a full year to reactivate deactivated accounts, a major shift from its previous 30-day deadline. The move comes as the platform faces a wave of high-profile departures and growing criticism.

The screenshot, shared on Reddit, shows a prompt telling a user they have until December 30, 2025, to restore their account — nearly a year after deactivating. This clashes with X’s official help page, which still states accounts are “permanently deactivated” after 30 days. Users in the thread joked about the change, with one commenter saying, “They must’ve extended the deadline because everyone was deleting their accounts.” Another added, “Reactivating is for chumps.”

Last year, the platform saw a steady stream of celebrities, brands, and everyday users jumping ship, a trend we covered in our X-odus article. High-profile exits included big names in entertainment, politics, and journalism, many citing concerns over the platform’s direction under Elon Musk. Extending the reactivation window could be a bid to lure some of those users back — or at least stop others from leaving for good.

The timing is interesting. X has been grappling with more than just user retention. Recently, dozens of Reddit communities began blocking or debating bans on X links, calling the platform “unusable” and raising ethical concerns. Some moderators pointed to issues like rampant bots, inconsistent content moderation, and Musk’s own polarizing posts.

Then there’s the elephant in the room: trust. A former X employee recently alleged the platform was used for election interference, claiming lax safeguards allowed bad actors to manipulate trends and amplify misinformation. While X denied the claims, the scandal added fuel to the fire for critics already wary of the platform’s reliability.

So why extend the reactivation window now? It could be a simple bug, as the official docs haven’t been updated. But given X’s rocky year, it’s hard not to see this as a strategic move. After all, if users feel they have a safety net to return, they might be less hesitant to deactivate in the first place. Or maybe X is buying time to fix its reputation before those accounts vanish forever.

Either way, the change hints at a bigger struggle. With competitors rising and trust eroding, X seems to be scrambling to hold onto what’s left of its user base. Whether a longer reactivation window helps — or just delays the inevitable — remains to be seen.