X is making a bigger push into AI-curated content with the launch of Grok-powered Custom Timelines, a new feature designed to help you browse focused, topic-based feeds directly from your Home tab. Instead of relying on the main algorithmic feed to surface everything, Custom Timelines let you pin curated streams for specific interests, making it easier to “go deep” on what you actually want to follow.
The company is positioning this as one of its most significant app changes yet, saying Grok’s AI doesn’t just build these timelines—it also personalizes them to each user. According to X, the system isn’t driven by traditional signals like keywords or hashtags. The idea is that Grok can read posts, understand what they’re about, and apply topic labels, allowing timelines to be assembled around meaning rather than simple text matching. It’s also another step in tighter integration between X and xAI, the group behind Grok and the AI models powering the feature.
Custom Timelines arrive as X is winding down another organizing feature: X Communities. Communities let people build member-based groups around shared interests, but usage reportedly declined over time. At the same time, X is also expanding group chat sharing by adding joinable links for group chats—an alternative that makes it easier to pull people into conversations quickly, without the structure of a community hub.
Right now, Grok-powered Custom Timelines are limited to Premium subscribers on iOS, with Android support said to be on the way. All Premium tiers can access the feature.
How to use X Custom Timelines (and what to expect)
Using Custom Timelines is straightforward. From the Home screen, you scroll past your For You and Following tabs (and any pinned Lists you already have). Then you hit the plus sign to choose which topic feeds you want to pin. You can pin up to 10 topics or lists total, and you can reorder them from the same selection screen.
Once pinned, these topic feeds show up as tabs you can jump into whenever you want—across platforms—making them feel like permanent “channels” for your favorite subjects.
One notable detail: early browsing shows an ad appearing in a highly visible slot within the feed. That suggests Custom Timelines could also be a way for X to expand ad inventory, an important point as the company continues working to strengthen its advertising business.
Over 75 topics to choose from, including sports, tech, and entertainment
At launch, X says users can pick from 75+ topics. Many are broad, familiar categories you’d expect on a major news or content site, including Business and Finance, Sports, Technology, Politics, Stocks and Economy, Science, Movies and TV, Food and Drink, Education, Gaming, and more. There are also lifestyle and interest areas such as Home and Garden, Beauty, Art, Real Estate, Photography, Pets, Shopping, Career, Design, Marriage and Family, and Mental Health.
Sports fans get an especially deep set of options. Beyond a general sports timeline, you can pin feeds for specific sports like American football, baseball, basketball, boxing, soccer, golf, MMA and wrestling, racing and motorsports, rugby, snow sports, ice hockey, tennis, cricket, Formula 1, cycling, the Olympics, and even esports.
Pop culture and music categories are also extensive, with options that include celebs, podcasts, fashion, concerts, and multiple genres such as hip hop, jazz, country, electronic, dance, pop, K-pop, and J-pop.
On the technology side, there are broader and more specialized lanes, including Artificial Intelligence and Cryptocurrency—two of the most consistently active topics on the platform—plus adjacent areas like robotics, software development, space, and biotech.
News topics spotlight war, crime, and elections
One detail that stands out is how news-related topic suggestions appear to be organized at launch. The top options include the Iran conflict, Crime, and Elections. That may mirror what’s trending in real-time conversations, but it also highlights an important reality: the way X presents topic choices can nudge what people pay attention to. Some users may find it helpful; others may prefer a cleaner structure where topics are grouped and alphabetized so political or crisis-driven categories don’t automatically dominate the entry points.
There’s also the broader question of how well an AI-driven feed can stay balanced and reliable. Grok has been described as politically neutral and “truth-seeking,” but it has also drawn criticism for sometimes skewing right or amplifying misinformation. In hands-on testing described in the original report, the feeds didn’t show an obvious left or right tilt in a short sample. The timelines pulled from a mix of major outlets and publications, along with commentary from various voices, including sources the tester didn’t explicitly follow.
Will Custom Timelines change how people use X?
It’s not guaranteed. Many users still prefer a single For You feed that surfaces everything they care about without extra effort. But Custom Timelines offer a different kind of control: the ability to check a topic when it matters (like opening a sports tab during a live game) without permanently reshaping your main feed.
Combined with X’s newer Snooze Topics option for For You, Custom Timelines point to a platform strategy focused on personalization: letting users fine-tune what they see, when they see it, and how tightly their experience revolves around specific interests. Whether that becomes essential or remains a Premium-only perk people occasionally tap will depend on how accurate Grok’s topic understanding feels in everyday scrolling—and whether these curated feeds consistently deliver a better signal-to-noise ratio than the default timeline.
