X's new iOS link experiment is artificially inflating traffic numbers across the web, creating headaches for publishers and advertisers trying to measure real engagement. Major sites like Substack and Bluesky are reporting massive spikes in "fake" views due to X's background preloading system that fetches content before users actually click on links.
X just broke web analytics across the internet, and most publishers didn't see it coming. The platform's latest iOS experiment is sending phantom traffic to websites everywhere, leaving companies scrambling to separate real visitors from algorithmic noise.
The chaos started when Substack CEO Chris Best noticed something odd. Traffic from X had suddenly spiked after the platform's recent update, and he was initially thrilled. But the celebration was short-lived. "Most of the apparent lift is fake," Best admitted on X after digging into the numbers.
What's happening is a classic case of unintended consequences from product experimentation. X's new iOS browser now preloads link content in the background before users actually tap on anything. The system fetches destination pages automatically, triggering analytics tracking that makes it look like real people are visiting when they're not.
"What's happening here is a classic case of metrics distortion caused by product experimentation at the platform layer," Nick Eubanks, VP of owned media at digital marketing platform Semrush, told The Verge. "X's new browser is pre-loading link content in the background, meaning the system fetches the destination page before a human actually taps or views it."
The impact is rippling across the web ecosystem. Bluesky product manager Paul Frazee says X's preloading system has "ruined" their metrics for measuring logged-out daily active users. "X has started to open links in the background to make them load faster... but it has caused a bunch of other sites to get extra traffic that appears real," Frazee wrote.
This isn't just a technical glitch - it's fundamentally changing how web traffic gets measured. Publishers rely on accurate analytics to understand their audience, set advertising rates, and measure content performance. When phantom visits inflate those numbers, it skews everything from revenue projections to editorial decisions.
X product head Nikita Bier defended the change, saying it addresses creator complaints about posts with links getting lower reach. "This is because the web browser covers the post and people forget to Like or Reply," Bier explained. "So X doesn't get a clear signal whether the content is any good."