Keeping users within an app is a challenge for any developer, and those who have faced this challenge by having to send users elsewhere to consume some kind of media – a video for example – will know what I am talking about. For developers using Twitter Kit to create their apps, Twitter has just launched native video and GIF support, that will allow both to play within the app.
Also Read: Twitter Includes Eight Great New SDKs In Fabric
At Twitter Flight this year, CEO Jack Dorsey went out on the charm offensive promised developers a lot. And it seems that he is making good on that promise, with various friendly upgrades to Twitter’s developer tools.
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The latest is an automatic feature in Twitter Kit, which will make the experience of watching video or GIFs a lot better for users in third-party Twitter apps. Instead of sending users to a web view their video or GIF will play natively at fullscreen within the app.
By “automatic” I mean that apps that use iOS 8+ and those that are running on the latest version of Twitter Kit won’t have to be updated. The change will happen on its own within the app. There is a catch however – as there always is. The feature is only available on iOS apps at the moment. Still, the feature is great and it’s Twitter‘s way of saying “thank you” to developers… because it is them who are pushing the envelope and making incredible things happen with Twitter’s technology.
It’s all about content. And Twitter wants to help you provide content – rich content – in the best possible way.