By MacRumors Staff
Twitter Articles

Twitter Kills Quote Tweet Prompt, Returns Retweet Action to Original Behavior
Back in August, Twitter began calling retweets with comments Quote Tweets, and a couple of months later the social media platform changed the way retweets worked so that users were prompted to Quote Tweet a retweet first before deciding to share it. Users didn't have to type anything in the quote tweet prompt, and could still retweet with no added context. Still, the idea behind the small...
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Periscope App Shutting Down in March as Most Functionality Has Transitioned to Twitter
Twitter-owned app Periscope today announced that the dedicated app for the live video service will be shut down by March 2021 now that most of the Periscope functionality has transitioned into the Twitter app.
The Periscope app in its current state is in an "unsustainable maintenance-mode state" with declining usage and rising costs. The Periscope team says that leaving the app as is "isn't...

Twitter Ends Threaded Conversations Tests After Negative User Feedback
This year, Twitter has been testing threaded replies for some iOS and web users, with the aim of making it easier to see how conversations evolve. However, it turns out the new-look, Reddit-style replies were actually more confusing for users of the typical conversation interface, and the company has decided to roll back the changes.
Those who trialed the new layout for replies saw lines and ...

Twitter Says Account Verification to Return in Early 2021
Twitter will re-open account verification requests early next year, the company announced this week, bringing brand-new guidelines for users seeking the little tick next to their Twitter handle.
Rumors that Twitter has been working on a new verification system first appeared in June, but the company has now officially confirmed its return in a blog post, in which it asked for feedback on a...

Twitter Bug Lets Fleets Be Viewed and Downloaded Long After Expiration
Twitter's new ephemeral tweets, or "fleets," have been hit by a bug that allows them to be accessed long after their supposed 24-hour expiration time, less than a week after the feature launched.
Fleets are short stories made up of photos or videos with overlaying text. Much like stories on Instagram or Facebook, fleets are located at the top of the Twitter timeline.
According to Techcrunc...

Twitter Launches Ephemeral Tweets Called 'Fleets' for All Users
Twitter today announced the worldwide launch of a new ephemeral tweet option called a "Fleet," which will last for 24 hours on the social network before disappearing. Much like stories on Instagram or Facebook, fleets are located at the top of the Twitter timeline.
Fleets have no retweets, likes, or public comments, do not show up in search or moments, and cannot be embedded on external...

#iPhone12Studio Gets New Twitter Hashflag, May Indicate New Apple Store Feature [Update: Now Available]
The hashtag #iphone12studio has gained a new hashflag from Apple. The hashflag may indicate that a new Apple Watch-style studio is on its way for the iPhone 12, but it is not yet known exactly what it will be used to promote.
The new hashflag, first highlighted by Twitter account @hashflagsio, is the first to be used by Apple for something other than an event. Apple launched its logo...

Twitter Gains Unique 'Like' Animation for Apple Event
Twitter has today added a unique "like" animation for Apple's "Hi, Speed" event that is to take place later today.
The brief animation reflects the concentric circles used on the artwork and graphics used to promote the Apple event. The circles also seem to be present on the wallpapers from leaked images of the iPhone 12.
This is the second time Apple has used a unique Twitter "like"...

Twitter Expands Rollout of Voice Tweets Feature for iOS Users
Twitter says it's making its voice tweets feature available to more users on iOS. Launched in June for a limited number of users, voice tweets is designed to allow people to tweet with their voice, sending voice-based messages instead of text.
Voice tweets can be created by opening up the tweet composer and tapping the new wavelengths icon. A screen then opens with a user's Twitter icon,...

Twitter Rolls Out New 'Share Tweet' Menu in iOS App
Twitter has rolled out a new Share Tweet pop-up menu in its official iOS app after it began testing the feature with some users last month. The new-look sharing menu gives users quick access to Twitter contacts that were recently used in Direct Messages, as well as shortcuts to apps such as Messages, WhatsApp, and Gmail.
The native iOS Activity view (formerly called the Share Sheet) can...

Twitter Makes Retweets With Comments Easier to Find
Twitter today announced the official rollout of its new Quote Tweets feature, which is designed to make tweets about a tweet easier to located.
Twitter is now calling retweets with comments Quote Tweets, and Quote Tweets are now visible when tapping into a tweet and selecting the "Quote Tweets" option to see all quoted replies in one spot.
Viewing Quote Tweets shows the original tweet...

Twitter Tests Automatic Translation for Tweets in a Different Language
Twitter today announced it will begin testing a feature with a small group of users that automatically translates tweets that are in a language they may not be able to read. Currently, users whose primary language is set to English in Twitter can tap or click a button to manually translate a tweet in their feed that's in another language. Starting today, however, users in Brazil will see...

Twitter Held 'Preliminary Talks' About Acquiring TikTok's U.S. Operations
Amid an impending ban on U.S. operations of TikTok, Twitter has expressed interest in acquiring the service, according to a new report from The Wall Street Journal.
The report explains that it is not immediately obvious why Twitter is interested in purchasing TikTok, given the cost of acquisition and the need for substantial restructuring. Twitter's comparatively small size would, however, ...

Twitter iOS App Now Lets All Users Limit Who Can Reply to Their Tweets [Update: Now Available]
Twitter has updated its official iOS app to allow all users to limit who can reply to their tweets. The company has been testing the "conversation participants" feature with select users since May, but it now appears to be ready for a wider rollout.
"In May, we tested a new way to have a chat with exactly who you want, so you can create and consume more meaningful changes," reads the update...

Three People Charged in Twitter Bitcoin Hack [Updated]
A Florida teenager, who is accused of being the "mastermind" behind the July hacking of social media site Twitter, has been arrested, according to Tampa's WFLA Channel 8 News site.
17-year-old Graham Clark is facing 30 felony charges for "scamming people across America" with the Twitter hack. He's been accused of organized fraud, 17 counts of communication fraud, one count of fraudulent use...

Twitter Hackers Used 'Phone Spear Phishing Attack' to Pull Off Bitcoin Scam
Twitter has provided another update on the security breach two weeks ago that saw the Twitter accounts of Apple and other high-profile figures and companies hacked by bitcoin scammers. According to the company, a small number of employees were targeted in a "phone spear phishing attack," suggesting that hackers called some of its staff and duped them into thinking they were speaking with...

Twitter Planning to Test Subscription Models This Year
Following a drop in ad revenue, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey today told analysts that the social media company is exploring additional ways to make money, which could include some kind of subscription service.
According to CNN, Dorsey said Twitter is likely planning some tests this year of different approaches, but there is a "a really high bar" for when Twitter would ask customers to "pay for...

Twitter Says Hackers Accessed the Direct Messages of 36 Accounts in Last Week's Breach
Twitter is continuing to investigate last week's security breach that saw the Twitter accounts of Apple and other high-profile figures and companies hacked by bitcoin scammers, and today the social media company confirmed that hackers accessed the Direct Messages of 36 Twitter accounts.
Twitter previously said that no passwords were stolen in the hack, which was a "coordinated social...

Twitter Testing Customizable App Icons and New Splash Screen
Twitter appears to be exploring the possibility of giving iOS users a choice of Twitter app icons to use on their Home Screen, based on a new survey sent out to members of its Twitter Insiders program.
Custom Twitter icons (via 9to5Mac) As the picture above shows, Twitter has four different app icons in mind, and the company is currently garnering feedback on the new designs to see which ones ...

Twitter Hackers Gained Access to Accounts Using Internal Tool
Several verified high profile Twitter accounts were hacked on Wednesday in a cryptocurrency scam that targeted accounts belonging to Apple, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, Microsoft CEO Bill Gates, and more. Twitter has said it doesn't believe any passwords were stolen in the hack, which forced the company to temporarily lock all verified accounts on the platform. While the...