Understanding X Data Limitations
Learn which X data is available in Analyse and the limitations imposed by X's API and platform policies. X is one of the most open platforms for social listening, offering broad access to public data. However, there are still some boundaries, especially around private messages and older content. This article outlines what you can and can’t access from X within Analyse.
What X Data Is Available?
Analyse supports the following X data types:
- Public mentions of your brand (both direct @mentions and indirect mentions)
- Posts and replies from your owned accounts
- Engagement data (likes, reposts, replies) on owned content
- Private messages (DMs) from users—only when an owned X account is authorised
- Quoted posts and threads
X allows broad access to public tweets, so even non-owned mentions are visible if they match your query.
What X Data Is Not Available?
Despite its openness, some data remains inaccessible or restricted:
- Deleted posts or content removed after publication
- DMs from non-owned accounts or when the account is not authorised
- Historical DMs from before profile authorisation
- Protected accounts’ posts, unless your brand follows them and they follow you back
- Posts that have been limited via privacy settings
Best Practices for X Integration
- Authorise your owned brand accounts to collect DMs and reply context
- Use X as a benchmarking channel for sentiment and trend analysis
- Track @mentions, keyword mentions, and hashtags together for comprehensive coverage
- Reauthorise accounts if you change login credentials or permissions