Twitter

Twitter rolls out a new timeline feature

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 18, 2016
Twitter's bird logo set against a transparent background

The pressure mounts on Twitter to re-ignite growth, which has virtually come to a halt as average users increasingly find the service too confusing and difficult to use. Today, the micro-blogging service unveiled yet another refinement designed to adjust how the timeline surfaces interesting content.

Similar to the “While you were away” timeline feature which released a year ago, Twitter will now put recommended, not the newest, tweets at the top of your timeline so that you never miss important updates from people you follow.

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Latest El Capitan beta has fixed Safari’s mishandling of shortened Twitter “t.co” links

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 10, 2016

An annoying issue pertaining to broken Twitter links, which has persisted in Safari for Mac since November 2015, has been fixed in the third beta of the forthcoming OS X 10.11.4 El Capitan software update, according to user reports on the Apple Support Communities forums.

The “Safari can’t open the page because the server where this page is located is not responding” error page no longer appears when clicking shortened “t.co” Twitter links with the secure HTTPS protocol in Safari and third-party apps like Tweetbot.

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Twitter is testing a dedicated GIF button

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 4, 2016

Thursday, TechCrunch reported that some users of Twitter's mobile application for Android had briefly seen a dedicated GIF button inside the app before it disappeared on its own. The new button gave them quick access to trending GIFs and was located between the camera and poll icons inside Twitter's Android app.

According to user Phil Perlman, tapping the button lets you select trending GIFs, or tap through to choose a GIF reaction based on mood categories.

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Safari for Mac not resolving Twitter’s shortened “t.co” links? Apple’s identified a fix.

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 23, 2016

If you prefer to browse your Twitter timeline in Safari for Mac, you must have noticed the irritating issue where the browser won't resolve shortened “t.co” links, resulting in an error message informing you that “Safari can't open the page because the server where this page is located is not responding”.

What's really surprising is that this persistent Safari bug, which basically renders most Twitter links unreadable, has been around since last November, as evidenced by the Apple Support Communities.

According to an Apple engineer, a fix has been identified but it's unclear when an OS X software update, or a Safari patch, that would squash the bug might be issued.

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Live Periscope broadcasts are being integrated into Twitter’s mobile app

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 12, 2016

In a major move, micro-blogging startup Twitter today announced that live Periscope broadcasts are coming to Twitter for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad, making it possible to watch broadcasts without leaving Twitter's mobile app.

Now when you tap a Periscope link in your timeline, no longer does it take you to the Periscope app. Instead, those links are getting replaced with the broadcast itself that automatically plays right within your tweet.

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Twitter is allegedly considering a 10,000 character limit for tweets

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 5, 2016

Micro-blogging startup Twitter is considering ditching the 140-character limit for tweets, one of its defining features, Re/code reported Tuesday citing sources familiar with the company's plans.

According to the article, the company is considering a new 10,000-character limit which would basically allow users to post longer-form content in a single tweet, as opposed to spamming their followers' feeds with a bunch of tweets.

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Twitter for Mac revamped, gains dark theme, inline video and GIF support, group DMs and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 1, 2018

Twitter today at last issued a long-expected update to its free of charge OS X desktop client in the Mac App Store. The new Twitter 4.0 experience starts with a brand new dark theme for those who prefer the Finder's optional dark appearance in OS X Yosemite and El Capitan.

Other enhancements in this edition of Twitter for Mac include the ability to mute accounts, use a new Today widget to see Twitter Highlights in the Notification Center, group chats with up to 50 people and support for Twitter's new quotation format, animated GIFs and inline video playback.

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Twitter hires Apple’s Director of Worldwide Inclusion & Diversity, Jeffrey Siminoff

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 28, 2016
Twitter's bird logo set against a transparent background

Twitter has hired Jeffrey Siminoff away from Apple, TechCrunch discovered on Tuesday. Twitter's human resources chief Brian Schipper has since confirmed the hire on Twitter, saying that Siminoff will serve as the micro-blogging startup's new Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion, replacing its departing director Janet Van Buysse who spent six years at the company.

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Twitter announces Digits-based logins coming to Apple TV apps

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 16, 2018

Hot on the heels of Facebook's release of an SDK for tvOS which lets developers create apps with Facebook Login based on eight-digit security codes, Twitter today announced bringing a similar feature of its own to the set-top box.

Digits, Twitter's own login and verification system based on phone numbers and verification codes, is coming to tvOS. This means that developers can now start writing Apple TV apps that users can log into by entering a short alphanumeric code in Safari on iPhone, iPod touch or iPad.

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