Twitter is making good on its promise to allow users to have a chronological view of their timelines, by testing a new button on its Home Screen.
The development comes after Twitter’s announcement that it wants to give users more power on what they see. While switching back to chronological may sound counterintuitive, here are two important reasons why it actually matters for Twitter:
- It puts power back into the hands of its users, and
- It goes against the general trend – pioneered by Facebook – that algorithms should choose what’s more relevant for us to see, a trend which further exacerbates the ‘echo chamber’ effect.
If you’re a Twitter user, you can see a pen button on the upper right corner of your home feed. However, if you’re a part of the lucky users who have access to the new test feature, then you should see an asterisk, followed by a prompt to choose the way you want to consume the tweets of the accounts you follow. Here’s how it looks like:
Sometimes you want to see the latest Tweets, first. We’re testing a way for you to make it easier to switch your timeline between the latest and top Tweets. Starting today, a small number of you will see this test on iOS. pic.twitter.com/7NHLDUjrIv
— Twitter (@Twitter) October 31, 2018
It’s not yet clear when this feature will receive broader roll out, however, it’s pretty sure that Twitter has been gathering feedback for a while now. According to an announcement back in September “We’ve learned that when showing the best Tweets first, people find Twitter more relevant and useful. However, we’ve heard feedback from people who at times prefer to see the most recent Tweets.”
By implementing this feature, Twitter makes sure its users can make the most out of its app – a ‘relevant’ feed for most days and a ‘chronological’ one for days which are news-heavy.
You might also like
More from Twitter
Twitter Blue Subscribers Now Get Up To One Hour To Edit Their Tweets
Not only do Twitter Blue subscribers get to edit their tweets, but now they will have up to 60 minutes …
Twitter Now Publicly Shows Who You Are Paying To Subscribe To
Twitter added a "Subscriptions" button to the user profile that lets anyone see who you are paying to subscribe to. Ever …
Twitter Blue Verified Subscribers Can Now Upload 2-Hour Videos
It probably still won't convince you to sign up, but Twitter Blue subscribers can now upload videos up to 2 …
Twitter Launches Encrypted DMs, But Only For Paid Subscribers
To send an encrypted DM on Twitter, you will need to be a Twitter Blue verified user, a verified organization, …
Twitter Is Purging Old Inactive Accounts
The purge of old and inactive Twitter accounts could free up many long-coveted usernames. Musk says Twitter will be removing accounts …
Is Twitter Working On A Cheaper Verification Plan For Organizations?
Twitter is reportedly working on a cheaper alternative for organizations to get verified on its platform. Currently, the only available …
Twitter Will Offer Free API Access For Public Announcement Accounts
Twitter announced it will revert to making its API free to use for accounts posting public announcements such as weather alerts, …
Twitter Will Require All Advertisers To Be Verified
It seems Twitter has found yet one more way to force users into paying for verification: Advertising on the platform …
The Twitter Blue Check Apocalypse Has Begun
Twitter has begun removing blue checkmarks from legacy verified accounts, leaving paid verification as the only way to own a …
