Twitter’s Circle feature lets you add up to 150 people to a special group that you can post to when you don’t feel like tweeting to everyone.
UPDATE: Twitter Circle launched on iOS, Android and the web for all users on August 30, 2021. Read the official announcement on the Twitter blog. The original article is right ahead.
- Twitter has confirmed it’s testing a new feature, dubbed Circle, that works pretty much like its Close Friends counterpart on Instagram. It’s for those times when you’d rather tweet to a smaller crowd rather than the web at large.
- You can add up to 150 people to your circle on Twitter, both followers and non-followers, who will then be able to see and reply to your tweets.
- Your circle is private: Any tweets shared with it cannot be retweeted.
Twitter Circle is like Instagram’s Close Friends feature
You can now tweet to a smaller group of people you choose, which sounds much like Instagram’s Close Friends feature. Only your circle can see and reply to such tweets.
The company shared news of this new feature being tested. “Some tweets are for everyone and others are just for people you’ve picked,” reads the announcement on Twitter. “Some of you can create your own Twitter circle beginning today.”
giving you all Twitter Circle because sometimes your Tweets aren’t for everyone
add up to 150 people to yours and use it. please. pic.twitter.com/D6AE4OhRX5
— Twitter (@Twitter) August 30, 2022
Sometimes you don’t want to share your thoughts on Twitter with the whole wide world so the Circle feature could be perfect for those times when you want to share your thoughts with an intimate group of cherry-picked people.
If you already have this feature, use Twitter’s audience selector when creating a new post to limit your tweeting to an inner circle of people you choose. To protect the privacy of the tweets posted in your circle, no one can retweet those tweets.
Currently, Twitter is limiting circles to one per account, with the ability to manage multiple circles possibly coming down the road. Also, no one can see the list of followers and non-followers in your circle. You can edit your circle anytime and if you remove someone from the circle, they will not be notified about it.
Twitter Circle expands to everyone
Twitter began rolling out the Circle feature on May 3, 2022, with select accounts getting it. On August 30, 2022, Twitter Circle launched for all users across iOS, Android and the web. Read: How to see which Twitter lists you’ve been added to
Every time I see I’ve made it to someone’s Twitter Circle, I feel honoured because that means you truly believe I know how to mind my own business
— Bamsee Blaster (@khalnero) July 8, 2022
To verify if you have the feature, update Twitter’s mobile app [App Store link] on your device. If you have the feature, you should see a splash screen when hitting the plus button to create a new post, asking if you’d like to try it out.
If you don’t have Twitter Circle, try checking back in a few days. Staggered launches like this one usually take some time to reach all users so have some patience. Read: How to create Twitter lists on iPhone, iPad, Mac and the web