Update, August 6 (4:00 pm ET): Twitter says that the feature is not available and was the result of a mistake in the release notes of an update.
What you need to know
- A new Twitter feature was announced to all iOS users.
- The feature would let you choose who can and can't reply to your tweets.
- The feature was announced back in January, and has been in testing for a couple of months.
A new update for Twitter on iOS, which was going to let users limit who can reply to their tweets, is actually not released.
Version 8.30 of the app was released today, August 6, and the release notes state:
In May, we tested a new way to have a chat with exactly who you want, so you can create and consume more meaningful exchanges. Now, everyone can try this new feature and choose who can reply to their Tweets.
Back in January, Twitter announced the new feature was coming soon to the platform. It has been an experimental feature that has been in user testing ever since.
Twitter is making changes to its platform to make tweeting less anxiety fraught for users. As per Mashable, the firm wants to improve what it dubs as conversational health on the platform. Essentially, Twitter is adding a new set of options that will let you choose who can reply to your tweet before sending it.
The feature, one released, lets you select from four classes of users:
- Global - the current standard setting where everyone who sees your tweet can reply.
- Group - People you follow, as well as people mentioned in the tweet.
- Panel - anyone mentioned in the tweet.
- Nobody - well... nobody.
People will still be able to retweet and quote your tweets, but the tool is designed specifically to help you control the tweet's reply thread to stop you "getting ratio'd".
The latest version of Twitter for iOS is available free from the App Store.
Update, August 6 (4:00 pm ET) — Twitter says the feature is not yet available.
Reported by The Verge, Twitter has said that the feature is not yet available to all iOS users and that it announced it incorrectly due to "some accidentally pushed release notes."
A Twitter spokesperson says the misconception was due "to some accidentally pushed release notes," and that "the ability to limit replies on tweets is not currently available to everyone." It's not clear then whether the feature has been expanded in any meaningful fashion with the latest update, but Twitter appears to still be testing reply limiting before making the feature available to more users.
It is not clear when the feature will be widely available, but it will hopefully be soon since Twitter it already saying it is.
