Twitter

Twitter is testing a dedicated GIF button

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

Twitter announces Digits-based logins coming to Apple TV apps

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.

Vine update makes it super easy to remix your favorite videos

Vine on Wednesday announced a new update for its popular mobile video-sharing app. It appears that this is a backend update, as I didn't have to download anything to see the changes (although I did restart the app), but there are a few new features worth noting.

The first is a new audio remix option. With Remix, users can make their own creations with sound from any Vine with the touch of a finger. Just tap the [...] button beneath a Vine clip within the mobile app, and select "Make an audio remix" from the popup menu.

Tweetbot for Mac updated for El Capitan’s Split View multitasking and more

The Mac edition of Tweetbot, Tapbots' popular Twitter client, has received an update this morning in the Mac App Store. The refreshed app now supports El Capitan's Split View multitasking mode and can be taken to OS X's native full screen mode as well.

With design refinements made to match Tweetbot 4 for iOS, this edition of Tweetbot for Mac also brings out muting changes and introduces an overahuled tweet details view that now shows conversation and replies in the same order as its iOS counterpart.