People have been crying out for an edit button for longer than I can remember and it's looking increasingly likely that we'll never get it. But Twitter appears to be working on the next best thing – an edit button.
Spied by Jane Manchun Wong, the new undo button appears to be in testing at Twitter and isn't ready for us mere mortals to use just yet. And while it's true this isn't the edit button we've been crying out for, it might be just as good. Not better, of course. But close enough at least.
Twitter is working on “Undo Send” timer for tweets pic.twitter.com/nS0kuijPK0Twitter is working on “Undo Send” timer for tweets pic.twitter.com/nS0kuijPK0— Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) March 5, 2021March 5, 2021
The reason people want an edit button is simple – they want to be able to fix typos. That's the only legitimate reason, at least. Twitter appears to be concerned that allowing people to edit tweets could lead to some uncomfortable situations such as someone liking a tweet only for its meaning to change completely. It's a fair concern and one that an undo button addresses.
The way the undo button appears to work is simple. Users tweet and are given a few seconds to tap a button to effectively cancel the tweet and try again. It's essentially an edit button but with a limited lifespan. Think of it that way and, dare I say, the undo button might be a better solution than the edit button people seem so desperate for.
We also don't yet know whether this mysterious button will only be available to those using the official Twitter app, but I suspect that will be the case. If this ever finds its way to the Twitter API I'll be very surprised indeed.
That's a shame, too. As much as the idea of an undo button is growing on me I don't think it'll be useful enough to see me switch to the Twitter app. Not until it gains timeline syncing, at least.
