Twitter Rolls Out Ability to Change Who Can Reply to Your Tweet After It's Posted

Twitter users will soon be able to change who can reply to their tweets after they've posted them, the company has announced.

twitter who can reply
Limiting who could reply to a tweet was already an option, thanks to a feature rolled out last year, but users had to choose who could reply before posting the tweet. Now they can make that decision after the post has gone live.

Changing the reply options on a posted tweet is simple enough. Tap the ellipsis (thee dots) menu in the top-right corner of a tweet and select "Change who can reply" from the dropdown.

A "Who can reply?" Card will appear, from which you can choose one of the three same options that are available when composing a tweet: "Everyone," "People you follow," and "Only people you mention."


The new option gives users more control over who can interact with their posts, which aims to reduce harassment on the social media platform, although it's not hard to see how it could have the unintended effect of restricting constructive debate and amplifying someone's online "echo chamber." The feature is currently rolling out worldwide on iOS, Android, and the web.

Twitter has recently been previewing a lot more feature ideas before it commits to bringing them to the platform so that it can garner feedback on them. For example, earlier this month it said it was considering letting users post select tweets for "Trusted Friends" only, an idea similar to Instagram's "Close Friends" feature, which lets users share personal Stories more privately.

Tag: Twitter

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Plus Feature

iPhone 17 Lineup Specs Detail Display Upgrade and New High-End Model

Monday July 22, 2024 4:33 am PDT by
Key details about the overall specifications of the iPhone 17 lineup have been shared by the leaker known as "Ice Universe," clarifying several important aspects of next year's devices. Reports in recent months have converged in agreement that Apple will discontinue the "Plus" iPhone model in 2025 while introducing an all-new iPhone 17 "Slim" model as an even more high-end option sitting...
iPhone SE 4 Vertical Camera Feature

iPhone SE 4 Production Will Reportedly Begin Ramping Up in October

Tuesday July 23, 2024 2:00 pm PDT by
Following nearly two years of rumors about a fourth-generation iPhone SE, The Information today reported that Apple suppliers are finally planning to begin ramping up mass production of the device in October of this year. If accurate, that timeframe would mean that the next iPhone SE would not be announced alongside the iPhone 16 series in September, as expected. Instead, the report...
Generic iPhone 17 Feature With Full Width Dynamic Island

Kuo: Ultra-Thin iPhone 17 to Feature A19 Chip, Single Rear Camera, Semi-Titanium Frame, and More

Wednesday July 24, 2024 9:06 am PDT by
Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today shared alleged specifications for a new ultra-thin iPhone 17 model rumored to launch next year. Kuo expects the device to be equipped with a 6.6-inch display with a current-size Dynamic Island, a standard A19 chip rather than an A19 Pro chip, a single rear camera, and an Apple-designed 5G chip. He also expects the device to have a...
iPhone 17 Plus Feature Purple

These 5 Features Will Make the iPhone 17 the Biggest Update in Years

Monday July 22, 2024 4:02 pm PDT by
The upcoming iPhone 16 models that we're expecting to see in September are going to be quite similar to the iPhone 15 models, but rumors suggest that Apple is making big changes in 2025. We've been hearing hints of an all-new device in the iPhone lineup, and it may be the most expensive iPhone Apple has offered to date. New 'Slim' Design Rumors have taken to referring to the new iPhone 17...
iOS 18 on iPhone Feature

Everything New in iOS 18 Beta 4

Tuesday July 23, 2024 1:08 pm PDT by
Apple released the fourth beta of iOS 18 today, introducing small changes to a number of features throughout the operating system. There are no big additions in this beta, but Apple is continuing to refine existing settings and design choices. Apple plans to continue updating iOS 18 over the next few months, with the update set to be released this fall. We've rounded up all of the changes...
iPhone SE 4 Thumb 1

iPhone SE 4 Rumored to Launch Early Next Year With OLED Display, 48MP Camera, and More

Monday July 22, 2024 7:22 am PDT by
The fourth-generation iPhone SE will offer a series of major upgrades over the current model, the leaker known as "Ice Universe" claims. The information was listed in a post on Weibo, which also detailed the specifications of the iPhone 17 lineup. As previously rumored, the fourth-generation iPhone SE is expected to feature Face ID and USB-C, marking a major upgrade from current and previous ...
iPhone 17 Plus Feature Purple

iPhone 17 Rumored to Feature Mechanical Aperture

Tuesday July 23, 2024 9:32 am PDT by
Apple is planning to release at least one iPhone 17 model next year with mechanical aperture, according to a report published today by The Information. The mechanical system would allow users to adjust the size of the iPhone 17's aperture, which refers to the opening of the camera lens through which light enters. All existing iPhone camera lenses have fixed apertures, but some Android...

Top Rated Comments

Minxy Avatar
40 months ago
What happens to a reply that's up but doesn't fall under the new allowed group category.
This isn't the solution to harassment, it really is just going to make Twitter a worst haven for people who want to surround themselves with the same opinion. Echo chamber indeed.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CarpalMac Avatar
40 months ago

What happens to a reply that's up but doesn't fall under the new allowed group category.
This isn't the solution to harassment, it really is just going to make Twitter a worst haven for people who want to surround themselves with the same opinion. Echo chamber indeed.
Came here to post this ^^^

Basically a great way of controlling a narrative.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
happygodavid Avatar
40 months ago
After all the misinformation, disinformation, conspiracy theories, and vitriol I've seen on Twitter, especially in the last year, I really hope this feature doesn't come to fruition. People, especially malicious ones, need to be fact-checked on their public proclamations of "truth." "Giving control" to users is a misnomer; all this does is silence reason and critique, further dividing people into tribalism and self-indulgent confirmation bias.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
HacKage Avatar
40 months ago

And yet still no edit button after a tweet has been posted.
An edit button is completely impractical. If you have made a mistake, then you should delete and retweet. Picture the following scenario with an edit button:

I tweet "Like and retweet this picture of a cat for good luck" or something as mundane as that. I then edit that tweet a few weeks later to say "Like and retweet this picture...." and I have edited the tweet to show animal torture or changed the message to be that you support pedophilia. You could then have hundreds of thousands of people who had posted that on their own timeline, and possibly don't know about it as it's weeks later.

The only way an edit button would work is if a tweet is edited, it then removes all comments or likes up until that point, as the person who liked or commented on the post did so based on it's original content. At this point, you would have been as well deleting the original tweet and tweeting it correctly.

There is an argument that Facebook allows an edit function, and a edit history. This differs from Twitter though where I can see all the posts a user has liked or retweeted. Many employers check social media of job applicants, it is completely unreasonable to expected everyone to have to continually check their previous likes and retweets incase someone has decided to edit them.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nikaru Avatar
40 months ago
I would rather prefer having a soccer team kicking me between the legs, than entering again in Twitter.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Cleartz Avatar
40 months ago
And yet still no edit button after a tweet has been posted.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)