Tag: Twitter

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Twitter developing tool for users to get out of conversations

Twitter appears to be working on a feature that would let users “nope” out of conversations with ease.

Given the general awfulness of people online and Twitter’s general reputation as a toxic “hell site,” this sounds like a great feature.

Uncovered by leaker Jane Manchun Wong, Twitter’s in-development feature includes a prompt to get users out of conversations. According to an image of the prompt shared by Wong, the feature will untag users, stop future mentions from that conversation, and stop notifications. Further, Twitter won’t notify other participants if you leave.

The feature looks and sounds like a more aggressive mute option. Plus, the ability to silently drop out of a Twitter conversation and prevent yourself from being added back in seems like a way to stir up chaos among participants who suddenly won’t be able to tag you and won’t know why.

Of course, the feature could also have unintended consequences and perhaps could become another way to troll people online. Only time will tell with this one.

It’s not clear yet when Twitter will officially roll out this feature, or if it even will. Considering it’s still in development, we could be weeks or months away from deployment.

Source: Jane Manchun Wong (Twitter) Via: Android Police

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Twitter is testing out a YouTube-like video playback speed feature

Russia, Kazan Sep 2 2019: Twitter application icon on Apple iPhone X smartphone screen close-up. Twitter app icon. Social media icon. Social network

Twitter is testing out a new feature that will let users adjust video playback speed (similar to YouTube and Netflix) on the web and Android.

The new feature is currently in testing, and has been rolled out for select users only.

Judging by the image in the announcement Tweet, users would be able to press a gear icon on the top right of the video tab and adjust the playback speed in .25 increments, ranging from 0.25x on the slow side to 2x on the fast side.

The Tweet doesn’t go into much detail, and as is the case with every Twitter Support announcement, the comment section is filled with bots, so nothing constructive could be deduced from the engagement.

The Verge, however, got a statement from Twitter spokesperson Joseph Nuñez who said the playback speed option will be available across Tweet Videos, Amplify Videos, Voice Tweets, videos in DMs, and Video Live Replays.

Funnily enough, while Twitter’s own post shows the feature in action on an iOS device, the playback speed functionality is currently only being tested for Android and web. Twitter didn’t reveal when we can expect the feature to be rolled out widely.

Source: @TwitterSupport

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Twitter expands ‘Safety Mode’ feature to half of all Canadian accounts

Twitter is expanding its Safety Mode feature to mark ‘Safer Internet Day.’

Accounts using this feature allow Twitter to auto-block profiles tweeting harmful language and unwanted interactions for seven days, and accounts a user follows and interacts with aren’t blocked.

Auto-blocked accounts can’t follow the account in Safety Mode, see their tweets, or send direct messages.

The account owner in Safety Mode can undo any auto-block before the seven days end.

“Potentially spammy behaviour impacts otherwise healthy conversations and looks like Tweeting repetitive content, sending unsolicited mentions [or] replies, using unrelated hashtags to get attention, and or following indiscriminately,” Twitter says on its website.

Initially announced in September 2021, the feature was only available to a small group of users on iOS, Android and Twitter’s website.

The feature is now available to half of all account holders in Canada. The same goes for the U.S, U.K, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand.

Safer Internet Day promotes online technology and mobile phones in a safe and responsible manner.

Twitter is also participating in other activities, such as hosting chats through Twitter Spaces, to mark the day.

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Twitter expands trial of its downvotes feature

Twitter is expanding its test feature that allows users to downvote replies to tweets they don’t want to see.

First rolled out in July, the social media app introduced the feature to understand which replies people find relevant in conversations. Downvotes aren’t visible to the tweet’s author or public.

The company also introduced upvotes that appear as likes. It’s unclear if upvoting will also be part of the expanded rollout.

“We learned a lot about the types of replies you don’t find relevant, and we’re expanding this test –– more of you on web and soon iOS and Android will have the option to use reply downvoting,” the organization said on its Twitter Support account (@TwitterSupport).

This is just one of several tests Twitter is conducting. It’s currently examining a video reaction feature that will allow users to share their thoughts through a video over a typed message. It’s also testing a feature that will let users add content warnings to tweets and categories.

It’s unclear how Twitter will select users who can test the downvoting feature. But the fact that Android users will also be able to try this, as it was previously only open to iOS users, seems like a step in the right direction.

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Twitter launches ‘Tweet It Into Existence’ ad campaign

Twitter is launching a new campaign today in Toronto and other cities about manifestations with the theme “Tweet It Into Existence.”

Twitter says that manifestations are “the new resolutions” and the best way to manifest your dream is to tweet about it. The idea is that you’ll tweet about something you want and watch it manifest sometime later. With that, Twitter is now sharing success stories from celebrities and athletes, including Demi Lovato, Megan Thee Stallion, Issa Rae, as well as Canadians Simu Liu and accessibility advocate Steve Saylor (the ‘Blind Gamer’). 

With this new campaign, Twitter has taken over the big screens at Yonge-Dundas Square and Union Station in Toronto. Alongside Toronto, several other North American cities, including New York and Los Angeles, will take a look at featured tweets.

Twitter is also donating nearly $1 million to charities of the stars’ choice on their behalf.

Here’s the full of list of stars apart from Liu and Saylor:

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Twitter expands misleading tweets feature to Spain, Brazil, and the Philippines

Russia, Kazan Sep 2 2019: Twitter application icon on Apple iPhone X smartphone screen close-up. Twitter app icon. Social media icon. Social network

Twitter is expanding its feature that allows users to flag misleading tweets to the Philippines, Brazil, and Spain.

The functionality was first introduced in August 2021 and was open to users in the U.S., South Korea and Australia. Select users can pick “it’s misleading” as an option when they go to report a tweet.

Reuters reports the company received 3 million reports for the flagged tweets since it was first introduced.

The company tweeted the tool has been “useful” but improvements are still needed. No details are provided as to what these improvements might include. Of the tweets reported so far through this tool, only 10 percent were a violation of the company’s policies.

“As we continue with the pilot, we may not take action on all reported tweets and will not be able to respond to every report we receive,” a tweet on the company’s Brazilian account reads.

Image credit: ShutterStock

Source: @Twitter Via: Reuters

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Wendy’s dunks on Xbox over missing campaign co-op in Halo Infinite

If you pay any attention to Halo Infinite, then you probably know that 343 Industries delayed the launch of the game’s campaign co-op mode. People are understandably upset about it since campaign co-op is considered a staple of the Halo series.

Fast-food restaurant and ruthless Twitter brand account Wendy’s managed to condense that anger into a six-word tweet at the Xbox Twitter account:

Oof, that’s going to leave a mark.

While I typically don’t care much for brand-on-brand action on social media, the Wendy’s tweet is actually kind of funny. As for why Xbox and Wendy’s are even interacting on Twitter, the Wendy’s account put out a call for people to get roasted for “#NationalRoastDay” and Xbox decided it was a good idea to participate.

Social media brand account shenanigans aside, Halo Infinite will get campaign co-op at some point, possibly May 2022 at the earliest. That’s a long way off for Halo fans who want to play through the campaign with friends.

Some players have even managed to glitch their way into co-op fun with friends, although it remains unclear how, exactly, it happened. Those who’ve tried replicating the glitch have broken their save files, however.

If you enjoy these brand interactions, the Wendy’s Twitter account has been roasting other brands too.

Source: Wendy’s (Twitter) Via: Kotaku

Categories
Mobile Syrup

You can (finally) listen to Clubhouse conversations without an account

February 8, 2021, Brazil. In this photo illustration the Clubhouse logo seen displayed on a smartphone screen

Conversations on audio platform Clubhouse can now be enjoyed through the use of a browser — and keen listeners don’t need to make an account to access conversations.

The company announced on Twitter (rather sarcastically) that it has introduced the new sharing feature. This allows users to share a live room with other Clubhouse members and on social networks, allowing anyone to listen in using a shared link.

Prior to this, conversations could only be joined through the Clubhouse app, severely limiting who could listen to conversations.

Clubhouse seems to acknowledge this when they tweeted “we invented [sharing] and nobody has thought of it before.”

Engadget reports the feature is “experimental” and only available in the U.S. for the time being. It could expand to other countries if the new feature receives enough support.

Questions remain if the company worked fast enough to debut the change, given the competing options that have launched since Clubhouse was created, such as Twitter Spaces.

9to5Mac reports such competition contributed to a dramatic decline in Clubhouse’s monthly download numbers, which reached its peak with 8 million downloads in February 2021. That number dropped below 1 million two months later.

Image credit: ShutterStock

Source: Clubhouse via: 9to5Mac

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Twitter testing video reaction feature with select iOS users

Twitter is testing a new way for users to share their thoughts on the app.

The social media company announced it’s testing a “quote tweet with reaction feature” with some iOS users.

This allows users to retweet with a video reaction rather than text. Users simply have to tap the retweet icon to reveal the new feature. A photo or video can be added and will appear behind the tweet when published.

The company is taking cues from TikTok and Instagram, as both apps have similar tools for recording reactions. This seems to be the new norm now, as TikTok also recently announced it was testing a new repost feature, which shares similarities to Twitter’s retweet feature.

The announcement came through a series of tweets on the company’s support account, leading some to question why this was only available on iOS. One user felt the iOS app was being changed to “a completely separate thing.”

It’s not clear if testing will open to Android users.

Source: Twitter Via: iPhone in Canada

Categories
Mobile Syrup

TikTok testing new ‘repost’ feature among select users

Smart phone with TIK TOK logo, which is a popular social network on the internet.

TikTok is currently testing a new Twitter-like feature among a group of its users.

The “repost” feature allows select users to instantly share clips with their followers. Users already have the ability to directly share clips with individual accounts.

According to Engadget, the yellow “repost” button is housed in the same place as the app’s other sharing features.

“Currently, we’re experimenting with a new way for people to share TikTok videos they enjoy,” a company spokesperson told Engadget.

TechCrunch reports the reposted videos show up on “For You” feeds, where content is displayed from accounts the user directly follows.

Users are currently able to share clips from other accounts to a larger audience by remixing and putting clips together, but this new feature will allow for original videos to be directly shared for the first time.

Image credit: ShutterStock

Source: Engadget