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List of Twitter features
List of Twitter features
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List of Twitter features
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X, commonly called under the former name Twitter, is an American microblogging and social networking service on which users post and interact with messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like and retweet tweets, and read those that are publicly available.

Twitter structure

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Tweets

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Tweets, a term for short posts, are publicly visible by default, but senders can restrict message delivery to only their followers. Users can mute users they do not wish to interact with, block accounts from viewing their tweets and remove accounts from their followers list.[1][2][3] Users can tweet via the Twitter website, compatible external applications (such as for smartphones), or by Short Message Service (SMS) available in certain countries.[4] Users may subscribe to other users' tweets—this is known as "following" and subscribers are known as "followers"[5] or "tweeps", a portmanteau of Twitter and peeps.[6] Individual tweets can be forwarded by other users to their own feed, a process known as a "retweet", a term for reposting. In 2015, Twitter launched "quote tweet" (originally called "retweet with comment"),[7] a feature that allows users to add a comment to their retweet, nesting one tweet in the other.[8] Users can also "like" (formerly "favorite") individual tweets.[9]

The counters for "likes", "retweets", and replies appear next to the respective buttons in news feeds, called timelines,[10] such as on profile pages and search results. Counters for likes and retweets exist on a tweet's standalone page too. Since September 2020, quote tweets, formerly known as "retweet with comment", have an own counter on their tweet page.[7] Until the legacy desktop front end that was discontinued in 2020, a row with miniature profile pictures of up to ten liking or retweeting users was displayed (earliest documented implementation in December 2011 overhaul), as well as a tweet reply counter next to the according button on a tweet's page.[11][12]

Twitter allows users to update their profile via their mobile phone either by text messaging or by apps released for certain smartphones and tablets.[13] Twitter has been compared to a web-based Internet Relay Chat (IRC) client.[14] In a 2009 Time magazine essay, technology author Steven Johnson described the basic mechanics of Twitter as "remarkably simple":

As a social network, Twitter revolves around the principle of followers. When you choose to follow another Twitter user, that user's tweets appear in reverse chronological order on your main Twitter page. If you follow 20 people, you'll see a mix of tweets scrolling down the page: breakfast-cereal updates, interesting new links, music recommendations, even musings on the future of education.[15]

According to research published in April 2014, around 44% of user accounts have never tweeted.[16]

The first tweet was posted by Jack Dorsey (creator) at 12:50 pm PST on March 21, 2006, and read "just setting up my twttr".[17] In 2009, the first tweet was sent from space. US astronauts Nicola Stott and Jeff Williams took part in a live 'tweetup' from the International Space Station with around 35 members of the public at the NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C.[18]

In March 2021, Jack Dorsey listed his first tweet for sale. The highest bid for the tweet, $2.5 million, came from a Malaysian businessman, Sina Estavi. Along with the metadata of the original tweet, the buyer was to receive a certificate that was digitally signed and verified by Dorsey.[19]

Content

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Content of tweets according to Pear Analytics:
  News (3.6%)
  Spam (3.8%)
  Self-promotion (5.9%)
  Pointless babble (40.1%)
  Conversational (37.6%)
  Pass-along value (8.7%)

San Antonio-based market-research firm Pear Analytics analyzed 2,000 tweets (originating from the United States and in English) over a two-week period in August 2009 from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm (CST) and separated them into six categories.[20] Pointless babble made up 40%, with 38% being conversational. Pass-along value had 9%, self-promotion 6% with spam and news each making 4%.

Despite Jack Dorsey's own open contention that a message on Twitter is "a short burst of inconsequential information", social networking researcher danah boyd responded to the Pear Analytics survey by arguing that what the Pear researchers labeled "pointless babble" is better characterized as "social grooming" or "peripheral awareness" (which she justifies as persons "want[ing] to know what the people around them are thinking and doing and feeling, even when co-presence isn't viable").[21] Similarly, a survey of Twitter users found that a more specific social role of passing along messages that include a hyperlink is an expectation of reciprocal linking by followers.[22]

Format

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Hashtags, usernames, retweets and replies
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Further information: Mention (blogging) § @ (At sign)

Users can group posts together by topic or type by use of hashtags – words or phrases prefixed with a "#" sign. Similarly, the "@" sign followed by a username is used for mentioning or replying to other users.[23]

In 2014, in anticipation for the FIFA World Cup, Twitter introduced hashflags, special hashtags that automatically generate a custom emoji next to them for a certain period of time, following the success of a similar campaign during the 2010 World Cup.[24] Hashflags may be generated by Twitter themselves (such as to raise awareness for social issues)[25] or be purchased by corporations (such as to promote products and events).[26]

To repost a message from another Twitter user and share it with one's own followers, a user can click the retweet button within the Tweet. Users can reply other accounts' replies. Since November 2019, users can hide replies to their messages. Since May 2020, users can select who can reply each of their tweets before sending them: anyone, accounts who follow the poster, specific accounts, and none. This ability was upgraded in July 2021 to make the feature retroactively applicable to tweets after they have been sent out.[27][28]

Twitter Lists
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In late 2009, the "Twitter Lists" feature was added, making it possible for users to follow ad hoc lists of authors instead of individual authors.[5][29]

Using SMS
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Through SMS, users can communicate with Twitter through five gateway numbers: short codes for the United States, Canada, India, New Zealand, and an Isle of Man-based number for international use. There is also a short code in the United Kingdom which is only accessible to those on the Vodafone, O2[30] and Orange[31] networks. In India, since Twitter only supports tweets from Bharti Airtel,[32] an alternative platform called smsTweet[33] was set up by a user to work on all networks.[34] A similar platform called GladlyCast exists for mobile phone users in Singapore and Malaysia.[35]

The tweets were set to a largely constrictive 140-character limit for compatibility with SMS messaging, introducing the shorthand notation and slang commonly used in SMS messages. The 140-character limit also increased the usage of URL shortening services such as bit.ly, goo.gl, tinyurl.com, tr.im, and other content-hosting services such as TwitPic, memozu.com and NotePub to accommodate multimedia content and text longer than 140 characters. Since June 2011, Twitter has used its own t.co domain for automatic shortening of all URLs posted on its site, making other link shorteners unnecessary for staying within Twitter's 140 character limit.[36][37]

In August 2019, Jack Dorsey's account was hacked by using Twitter's SMS to tweet feature to send crude messages. Days later, the ability to send a tweet via SMS was temporarily turned off.[38]

In April 2020, Twitter discontinued the ability to receive SMS messages containing the text of new tweets in most countries.[39][40]

Character limits
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In 2016, Twitter announced that media such as photos, videos, and the person's handle, would not count against the already constrictive 140 character limit. A user photo post used to count for a large chunk of a Tweet, about 24 characters.[41] Attachments and links would also no longer be part of the character limit.[42]

On March 29, 2016, Twitter introduced the ability to add a caption of up to 480 characters to each image attached to a tweet.[43][44] This caption can be accessed by screen reading software or by hovering the mouse above a picture inside TweetDeck.

Since March 30, 2017, the Twitter handles are outside the tweet itself, therefore they no longer count towards the character limit.[45] Only new Twitter handles added to the conversation count towards the limit.

In 2017, Twitter doubled their historical 140-character-limitation to 280.[46] Under the new limit, glyphs are counted as a variable number of characters, depending upon the script they are from: most European letters and punctuation forms count as one character, while each CJK glyph counts as two so that only 140 such glyphs can be used in a tweet.[46]

URL shortener
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t.co is a URL shortening service created by Twitter.[36] It is only available for links posted to Twitter and not available for general use.[36] All links posted to Twitter use a t.co wrapper.[47] Twitter created the service to try to protect users from malicious sites by warning users if a URL is potentially malicious before redirecting them,[36] and uses the shortener to track clicks on links within tweets.[36][48]

Having used the services of third parties TinyURL and bit.ly,[49] Twitter began experimenting with its own URL shortening service for private messages in March 2010 using the twt.tl domain,[47] before it purchased the t.co domain. The service was tested on the main site using the accounts @TwitterAPI, @rsarver and @raffi.[47] On September 2, 2010, an email from Twitter to users said they would be expanding the roll-out of the service to users. On June 7, 2011, Twitter announced that it was rolling out the feature.[37]

t.co faced controversy under the ownership of Musk, as Twitter began blocking new Tweets from containing links to other social networks, such as Facebook, Instagram, and Mastodon.[50] Tweets containing the networks could not be shared, and existing Tweets with links to the restricted sites would give an error upon attempting to visit the page via Twitter. The policy was soon reversed after extreme controversy.[51]

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A word, phrase, or topic that is mentioned at a greater rate than others is said to be a "trending topic". Trending topics become popular either through a concerted effort by users or because of an event that prompts people to talk about a specific topic.[52] These topics help Twitter and their users to understand what is happening in the world and what people's opinions are about it.[53] Websites that track and display trending topics, like TwitterTrend.co, provide real-time information on the most discussed topics worldwide, offering users insights into regional and global trends.[54]

Trending topics are sometimes the result of concerted efforts and manipulations by fans of certain celebrities or cultural phenomena, particularly musicians like Lady Gaga (known as Little Monsters), Justin Bieber (Beliebers), Rihanna (Rih Navy) and One Direction (Directioners), and novel series Twilight (Twihards) and Harry Potter (Potterheads). Twitter has altered the trend algorithm in the past to prevent manipulation of this type with limited success.[55]

The Twitter web interface displays a list of trending topics on a sidebar on the home page, along with sponsored content (see image).

Twitter often censors trending hashtags that are claimed to be abusive or offensive. Twitter censored the #Thatsafrican[56] and #thingsdarkiessay hashtags after users complained that they found the hashtags offensive.[57] There are allegations that Twitter removed #NaMOinHyd from the trending list and added an Indian National Congress-sponsored hashtag.[58] President Donald Trump protested trends calling them "unfair, disgusting, illegal, ridiculous" claiming the ones that are bad about him are blown up.[59][60][61]

Examples of high-impact topics include the wildfires in San Diego,[62] the earthquake in Japan,[63] popular sporting events,[64] and political uprisings in Iran[65] and Egypt.[66]

In 2019, 20% of the global trends were found to be fake, created automatically using fake and compromised accounts originating from Turkey. It is reported that 108,000 accounts were employed since 2015 to push 19,000 keywords such as advertisements and political campaigns, to top trends in Turkey by bulk tweeting.[67]

Moments

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In October 2015, Twitter introduced "Moments"—a feature that allows users to curate tweets from other users into a larger collection. Twitter initially intended the feature to be used by its in-house editorial team and other partners; they populated a dedicated tab in Twitter's apps, chronicling news headlines, sporting events, and other content.[68][69] In September 2016, creation of moments became available to all Twitter users.[70] On December 7, 2022, Twitter announced that it would be removing the ability to create new moments to focus on other experiences.[71]

Adding and following content

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There are numerous tools for adding content, monitoring content and conversations including Twitter's own TweetDeck, Salesforce.com, HootSuite, and Twitterfeed.com. As of 2009, fewer than half of tweets posted were posted using the web user interface with most users using third-party applications (based on an analysis of 500 million tweets by Sysomos).[72]

Verified accounts

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Main article: Twitter verification

In June 2009, after being criticized by Kanye West and sued by Tony La Russa over unauthorized accounts run by impersonators, the company launched their "Verified Accounts" program.[73][74] Twitter stated that an account with a "blue tick" verification badge indicates "we've been in contact with the person or entity the account is representing and verified that it is approved".[75] In July 2016, Twitter announced a public application process to grant verified status to an account "if it is determined to be of public interest" and that verification "does not imply an endorsement".[76][77][78] Verified status allows access to some features unavailable to other users, such as only seeing mentions from other verified accounts.[79]

In November 2020, Twitter announced a relaunch of its verification system in 2021. According to the new policy, Twitter verifies six different types of accounts; for three of them (companies, brands, and influential individuals like activists), the existence of a Wikipedia page will be one criterion for showing that the account has "Off Twitter Notability".[80] Twitter states that it will re-open public verification applications at some point in "early 2021".[81]

Mobile

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Twitter has mobile apps for iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows 10, Windows Phone, BlackBerry, and Nokia S40.[82] Users can also tweet by sending SMS.[83] In April 2017, Twitter introduced Twitter Lite, a progressive web app designed for regions with unreliable and slow Internet connections, with a size of less than one megabyte, designed for devices with limited storage capacity.[84][85]

This has been released in countries with slow internet connection such as the Philippines.[86]

Twitter Lite has evolved into the main Twitter web interface, see section "interface".[citation needed]

Third-party applications

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For many years, Twitter has limited the use of third-party applications accessing the service by implementing a 100,000 user limit per application.[87] Since August 2010, third-party Twitter applications have been required to use OAuth, an authentication method that does not require users to enter their password into the authenticating application. This was done to increase security and improve the user experience.[88] As of 2023, third-party applications are prohibited under the Twitter API terms of service, with prohibit the use of the API to "create or attempt to create a substitute or similar service or product to the Twitter Applications".[89][90]

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This feature adds websites to the bottom of a tweet's permalink page. If a website embedded a tweet onto one of their stories, the tweet will show the websites that mentioned the tweet. This feature was added onto Twitter so if the viewer does not understand what the tweet means, they can click on the sites to read more about what the person is talking about.[91]

Polls

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In 2015, Twitter began to roll out the ability to attach poll questions to tweets. Polls are open for up to 7 days, and voters are not personally identified.[92]

Initially, polls could have only two options with a maximum of twenty characters per option. Later[when?], the ability to add four options with up to 25 characters per option, was added.

Integrated photo-sharing service

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On June 1, 2011, Twitter announced its own integrated photo-sharing service that enables users to upload a photo and attach it to a Tweet right from Twitter.com.[93] Users now also have the ability to add pictures to Twitter's search by adding hashtags to the tweet.[94] Twitter also plans to provide photo galleries designed to gather and syndicate all photos that a user has uploaded on Twitter and third-party services such as TwitPic.[94]

Streaming video

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In 2016, Twitter began to place a larger focus on live streaming video programming, hosting various events including streams of the Republican and Democratic conventions during the U.S. presidential campaign as part of a partnership with CBS News,[95] Dreamhack and ESL esports events,[96] and winning a bid for non-exclusive streaming rights to ten NFL Thursday Night Football games in the 2016 season.[96][97]

During an event in New York in May 2017, Twitter announced that it planned to construct a 24-hour streaming video channel hosted within the service, featuring content from various partners.[96][98] CEO Jack Dorsey stated that the digital video strategy was part of a goal for Twitter to be "the first place that anyone hears of anything going on that matters to them"; as of the first quarter of 2017, Twitter had over 200 content partners, who streamed over 800 hours of video over 450 events.[99]

Twitter announced a number of new and expanded partnerships for its streaming video services at the event, including Bloomberg, BuzzFeed, Cheddar (Opening Bell and Closing Bell shows; the latter was introduced in October 2016) IMG Fashion (coverage of fashion events), Live Nation Entertainment (streaming concert events), Major League Baseball (weekly online game stream, plus a weekly program with live look-ins and coverage of trending stories), MTV and BET (red carpet coverage for their MTV Video Music Awards, MTV Movie & TV Awards, and BET Awards), NFL Network (the Monday-Thursday news program NFL Blitz Live, and Sunday Fantasy Gameday),[100][101] the PGA Tour (PGA Tour Live coverage of early tournament rounds preceding television coverage),[102] The Players' Tribune, Ben Silverman and Howard T. Owens' Propagate (daily entertainment show #WhatsHappening), The Verge (weekly technology show Circuit Breaker: The Verge's Gadget Show), Stadium (a new digital sports network being formed by Silver Chalice and Sinclair Broadcast Group)[103][104][105] and the WNBA (weekly game).[99]

Account archival

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Twitter has offered two different methods[clarify] of archiving one's own Twitter account data. Those methods have their individual benefits and disadvantages. As of September 2019, only the latter archival method is available.[citation needed]

Browsable legacy Twitter archive format

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In December 2012, Twitter introduced a "Tweet archival" feature, which created a ZIP file that contains an offline-browsable archive of all tweets.[106] Those exported tweets could be browsed and searched offline by using the bundled user-interface accessible through a web browser, which used client-side, JavaScript-powered pagination.[107] The user interface of the tweet archive browser had a design similar to Twitter's 2010–2014 desktop user interface, even until the feature's removal. The tweet text contents, ID's, time data and source labels are located in the file called "tweets.csv". It was possible to request at least one archive per day[verification needed]. The ability to export this type of tweet archive, which never existed on the new layout, has been removed entirely in August 2019[when exactly?], after co-existing with the new 2018 data archival method. Even when accessing the legacy Twitter desktop website layout using the user-agent of an older browser version, the option has disappeared from the account settings.

Spaces

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Twitter Spaces is a social audio feature that enables users to host or participate in a live-audio virtual environment called space for conversation. Spaces can accommodate an unlimited number of listeners. A maximum of 13 people (1 host, 2 co-hosts and 10 speakers) are allowed onstage. The feature was initially limited to users with at least 600 followers. Since October 21, 2021, any Twitter user can create a Space from the Android or iOS app.[108]

Fleets

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In March 2020, Twitter began to test a stories feature known as "fleets" in some markets,[109][110] which officially launched on November 17, 2020.[111][112] Similarly to equivalent features, fleets can contain text and media, are only accessible for 24 hours after they are posted, and are accessed within the Twitter app via an area above the timeline.[109]

In June 2021, Twitter announced it would start implementing advertising into fleets, integrating full-screen ads among user-created content.[113] On July 14, 2021, Twitter stated that it would remove Fleets by August 3. Twitter had intended for fleets to encourage more users to tweet regularly, rather than simply consume other folks' tweets, but instead fleets were generally used by users who already tweeted a lot. The company stated that their spot at the top of the screen would now be occupied by currently active Spaces from the user's feed.[114]

Twitter Blue

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On June 3, 2021, Twitter announced a service known as Twitter Blue, which provides features exclusive to those who are subscribers to the Twitter Blue service. They include:

  • Undo Tweet, which allows users to withdraw a tweet within a short time frame before it is posted.[115]
  • Bookmarks, which allows users to save individual tweets into folders.[115]
  • Reader mode, which converts threads of tweets into an article-like view.[115]
  • Color themes for the Twitter mobile app.[115]
  • Dedicated customer support.[115]

The service was initially released in Australia and Canada.[115] On November 9, 2021, Twitter Blue was launched for US customers.[116]

Twitter Zero

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Twitter Zero is an initiative undertaken by Twitter in collaboration with mobile phone-based Internet providers, whereby the providers waive data (bandwidth) charges—so-called "zero-rate"—for accessing Twitter on phones when using a stripped-down text-only version of the website. The images could be loaded by using the Twitter app.[117] The stripped-down version is available only through providers who have entered the agreement with Twitter. Partners include:

Tip Jar

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In May 2021, Twitter began testing a Tip Jar feature on its iOS and Android clients. The feature allows users to send monetary tips to certain accounts, providing a financial incentive for content creators on the platform. The Tip Jar is optional and users can choose whether or not to enable tips for their account. The day the feature was launched, a user discovered that sending a tip through PayPal would reveal the sender's address to the recipient.[118]

On September 23, 2021, Twitter announced that it will allow users to tip users on the social network with bitcoin. The feature will be available for iOS users. Previously, users could tip with fiat currency using services such as Square's Cash app and PayPal's Venmo. Twitter will integrate the Strike bitcoin lightning wallet service. It was noted that at this current time, Twitter will not take a cut of any money sent through the tips feature.[119]

The Shop Module

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In July 2021, Twitter launched a test of The Shop Module, a shopping extension that directs customers to a brand's products from its official Twitter account. The feature initially launched for US-based users only and only on iOS.[120]

Safety Mode

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On September 1, 2021, Twitter began to roll out Safety Mode, allowing users to reduce disruptive interactions. The rollout began with a small beta-feedback group on iOS, Android, and Twitter's web application.[121]

The functionality allows users to temporarily block accounts for seven days when potentially harmful language is detected. If a user has Safety Mode enabled, authors of tweets that are identified by Twitter's technology as being harmful or exercising uninvited behavior will be temporarily unable to follow the account, send direct messages, or see tweets from the user with the enabled functionality during the temporary block period. Jarrod Doherty, senior product manager at Twitter, stated that the technology in place within Safety mode assesses existing relationships to prevent blocking accounts that the user frequently interacts with.

Twitter first revealed Safety Mode in February 2021 within the Analyst Day slide deck.[122]

NFT digital assets

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On September 23, 2021, Twitter revealed that it was experimenting with a feature that would allow users to authenticate and showcase their collections of NFT digital assets on the platform.[123] The feature was added on January 20, 2022, allowing Twitter Blue subscribers to connect their cryptocurrency wallet to display an NFT they own as a hexagon-shaped profile picture.[124]

The ability to set new NFT profile pictures was silently removed in January 2024.[125]

Live shopping

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On November 22, 2021, Twitter announced live shopping[126] feature on its platform. Walmart will be the first retailer to test Twitter's new livestream shopping platform.[127] The company stated that it is part of their continuing efforts to bring engaging experiences to customers that allow them to shop seamlessly while also being entertained.

Shops

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Twitter allow companies to showcase up to 50 products for sale on their profiles, as part of new feature testing. Shops will help Twitter to gain a piece of the $45 billion US market for social commerce.[128]

Community Notes

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Community Notes logo
This section is an excerpt from Community Notes.[edit]

Community Notes, formerly known as Birdwatch, is a feature on X (formerly Twitter) where contributors can add context such as fact-checks under a post, image or video. It is a community-driven content moderation program, intended to provide helpful and informative context, based on a crowd-sourced system. Notes are applied to potentially misleading content by a bridging-based algorithm not based on majority rule, but instead agreement from users on different sides of the political spectrum.

The program launched on Twitter in 2021 and became widespread on X in 2023. Initially shown to U.S. users only, notes were popularized in March 2022 over misinformation in the Russian invasion of Ukraine followed by COVID-19 misinformation in October. Birdwatch was then rebranded to Community Notes and expanded in November 2022. As of November 2023, it had approximately 133,000 contributors; notes reportedly receive tens of millions of views per day, with its goal being to counter propaganda and misinformation. According to investigation and studies, the vast majority of users do not see notes correcting content. In May 2024, a study of COVID-19 vaccine notes were deemed accurate 97% of the time.

X Money Account

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In January 2025, X partnered with Visa to be the first partner for a new feature called the X Money Account. The product would enable X users to move funds between traditional bank accounts and their digital wallet and make instant peer-to-peer payments.[129]

Grok

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This section is an excerpt from Grok (chatbot).[edit]

Grok is a generative artificial intelligence chatbot developed by xAI. It was launched in November 2023 by Elon Musk as an initiative based on the large language model (LLM) of the same name. Grok has apps for iOS and Android and is integrated with the social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter), Tesla vehicles, and Tesla's Optimus robot. The chatbot is named after the verb grok, coined by American author Robert A. Heinlein in his 1961 science fiction novel Stranger in a Strange Land to describe a deeper than human form of understanding.

The bot has generated various controversial responses, including conspiracy theories, antisemitism, and praise of Adolf Hitler, as well as referring to Musk's views when asked about controversial topics or difficult decisions. Updates since 2023 have shifted the bot politically rightward to provide conservative responses to user queries.

See also

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References

[edit]

Grokipedia

List of Twitter features

View on Grokipedia
The list of Twitter features documents the functionalities and tools progressively added to the microblogging platform since its public launch on July 15, 2006, initially centered on 140-character "tweets" sent via SMS for real-time status updates among users. Core interaction mechanisms, such as replies, retweets (formalized in 2008), hashtags (proposed in 2007 for topic organization), mentions, and direct messages, formed the foundation for public discourse and information sharing, with later expansions including multimedia support (photos in 2011, videos via Vine acquisition in 2012), polls (2015), 280-character limits (2017), live audio Spaces (2021), and under post-2022 ownership, editable tweets, longer posts up to 10,000 characters, video downloads, and premium tiers like X Premium for verification and prioritization. These developments transformed Twitter—rebranded X in 2023—from a niche tool for brevity into a versatile network for extended content, subscriptions, communities, and algorithmic timelines blending followed and recommended posts, though some features like Fleets (2020–2021) were discontinued. Notable for enabling rapid viral dissemination and real-time events coverage, the platform's features have also sparked debates over moderation tools and algorithmic visibility, with additions like Community Notes introduced in 2021 to crowdsource fact-checking.

Core Platform Mechanics

Tweets and Content Formatting

Tweets constitute the fundamental unit of content on Twitter, consisting of short textual messages that users post to share updates, opinions, or information. Standard tweets are limited to 280 characters, a threshold established after the platform's initial 140-character constraint was doubled in November 2017 to accommodate greater expressiveness while preserving brevity. X Premium subscribers, however, can create longer posts extending up to 25,000 characters, enabling more detailed narratives without relying on threaded replies. Character counting follows specific rules: most Latin-based Unicode glyphs count as one, while emojis and certain non-Latin scripts like CJK (Chinese, Japanese, Korean) ideographs count as two; URLs are shortened via t.co and fixed at 23 characters regardless of length; @mentions at the start of replies do not count toward the limit, but other mentions do; and media uploads via official apps consume zero characters. These mechanics, rooted in Twitter's SMS origins where 160 characters was standard (with 20 reserved for usernames), prioritize concise communication. Content within tweets is rendered in plain text without native rich formatting support, such as bold, italics, or bulleted lists, distinguishing Twitter from platforms like blogs or word processors. Users often employ Unicode character variants—generated via third-party tools—to approximate bold or italic styles, as the platform's API does not recognize HTML or Markdown. However, in October 2024, platform owner Elon Musk announced reduced visibility for posts relying on such formatting in the main timeline, citing aesthetic overload ("my eyes are bleeding"), though styled text remains viewable upon expansion or direct access. This policy reflects ongoing adjustments to maintain readability amid user-driven innovations. Mentions (@username) hyperlink to profiles and notify recipients if public, while hashtags (#topic) enable discoverability without counting extra beyond their text; both integrate seamlessly into the character budget. Emojis enhance visual appeal but double the count, influencing composition strategies for optimal impact within limits. Overall, these formatting constraints enforce Twitter's ethos of succinct, linkable discourse, with expansions like long-form posts available only to paid tiers since their introduction for verified users in 2023.

Timelines, Following, and Algorithms

Twitter's timelines serve as the primary interface for users to view content, evolving from a simple reverse-chronological feed to a dual-system incorporating algorithmic recommendations. The platform originally displayed tweets in strict reverse chronological order upon its launch in 2006, prioritizing the most recent posts from followed accounts without significant curation. Over time, Twitter introduced subtle algorithmic elements, such as the "Highlights" tab in 2009, which surfaced popular tweets from followed users based on engagement metrics like retweets and replies. The "Following" timeline, accessible via a dedicated tab since January 2023 (previously labeled "Latest Tweets"), presents posts strictly from accounts a user follows in reverse chronological order, excluding any recommended content from non-followed sources. This feature ensures users see unfiltered, real-time updates from their selected network, with no duplication of tweets unless reposted by the author. Following an account on Twitter/X involves a one-way subscription mechanism, where users opt-in to receive that account's tweets in their feed without requiring reciprocal follows, enabling asymmetric networks for broadcasting and consumption. In contrast, the default "For You" timeline employs a recommendation algorithm to curate a mix of followed accounts' tweets and suggested content from others, aiming to maximize user engagement through machine learning models that predict relevance based on factors like past interactions, tweet recency, and network signals. The algorithm processes approximately 500 million tweets daily by first gathering candidates via heavy ranker models trained on user-tweet embeddings, then applying lighter models for final scoring on engagement potential (e.g., replies weighted higher than likes). Twitter open-sourced core components of this system in March 2023, revealing its reliance on graph-based processing for "Who to Follow" suggestions and real-time serving via frameworks like GraphJet. Post-acquisition by Elon Musk in October 2022, algorithmic priorities shifted toward reducing negativity and spam while boosting informational and entertaining content, with tweaks announced in January 2025 to demote low-effort posts. Further updates in April-May 2025 targeted spam and "slop" content, and by October 2025, Musk acknowledged persistent issues like suboptimal surfacing, issuing an apology amid user complaints. As of October 2025, X (formerly Twitter) plans a full transition to a Grok-powered AI model by November 2025, leveraging xAI's system for enhanced recommendation quality and reduced manipulation vulnerabilities. These changes reflect ongoing efforts to balance chronological fidelity in the Following tab with predictive personalization in For You, though critics note potential for engagement-driven biases favoring high-interaction (often controversial) content. Hashtags on Twitter, denoted by the "#" symbol preceding a word or phrase, enable users to categorize tweets for easier grouping and retrieval. The concept was first proposed by user Chris Messina on August 23, 2007, as a means to tag related discussions during events like conferences, drawing from earlier uses of the pound symbol in Internet Relay Chat (IRC) channels since 1988. Twitter initially resisted formal implementation but began indexing hashtags for search in 2009, allowing them to link tweets thematically without requiring official endorsement. This user-driven feature transformed unstructured posts into searchable clusters, with over 85% of brands incorporating hashtags in campaigns by 2013 to amplify reach. Twitter's trends feature highlights topics, often hashtags, gaining rapid traction across the platform, displayed in a dedicated sidebar or tab. Trends are algorithmically generated, prioritizing velocity—sharp increases in tweet volume over sustained but slower growth—alongside factors like user engagement and recency, rather than absolute volume alone. By default, trends are personalized based on a user's followed accounts, inferred interests from interactions, and geographic location, though global or category-specific views (e.g., politics, entertainment) can be selected. The algorithm employs decay factors to refresh lists dynamically, ensuring emerging conversations surface while demoting stagnant ones, with Twitter engineering confirming in 2016 that spikes in activity, such as during breaking news, heavily influence selections over gradual builds. These mechanisms enhance discoverability by bridging followed networks with broader conversations, allowing non-followers to encounter content via hashtag searches or trend explorations. Hashtags facilitate algorithmic recommendations in "For You" timelines and search results, where relevance is scored by co-occurrence with user interests, boosting visibility for niche topics—studies show tweets with 1-2 relevant hashtags receive 21% more engagement than those without. Trends amplify this by surfacing high-velocity content to millions, though personalization can create echo chambers, as evidenced by location-based tailoring that correlates trends with local events or demographics. Critics note the algorithm's opacity and potential for manipulation via coordinated posting, yet empirical data from platform analytics affirm that strategic hashtag use correlates with 12.6% higher impression rates, underscoring their role in organic reach without paid promotion.

User Engagement and Interactions

Replies, Retweets, Likes, and Quotes

Replies enable users to respond directly to an existing post, creating threaded conversations visible in the original post's reply section. The @-reply notation, allowing direct addressing via the @ symbol, was officially integrated as a platform feature on May 30, 2007, building on user-invented conventions. Users initiate a reply by selecting the reply icon on a post, with the response including the original content for context. In July 2019, Twitter introduced the "hide replies" option, enabling post authors to conceal specific replies from public view while retaining visibility for the author and reported users, initially tested in Canada before global rollout to mitigate harassment. By May 2020, users gained the ability to pre-set reply visibility restrictions on new posts—limiting responses to all users, followed accounts, mentioned users, or none—to reduce unwanted interactions, with the feature fully rolled out to all by August 2020. In March 2023, interface changes omitted explicit indicators of reply targets in threads, prompting user confusion over context in multi-reply chains. Retweets, now termed Reposts on the platform, allow users to amplify another user's post by sharing it verbatim to their own followers' timelines, preserving the original authorship and content. Prior to official implementation, users manually prefixed shares with "RT" followed by the @username, a convention that emerged organically in the platform's early years. Twitter launched the native Retweet button in November 2009, automating the process and embedding metadata to track propagation without altering the original text. This feature significantly boosted content virality, as evidenced by its role in rapid information dissemination during events like the 2009 Iranian election protests. Reposts include options for simple sharing or quoting with added text, and users can disable Reposts on their own posts via privacy settings. Likes, originally implemented as "favorites" with a star icon for bookmarking or endorsing posts, underwent a redesign on November 3, 2015, replacing the star with a heart symbol to denote "likes" and streamline user intent toward positive engagement rather than mere saving. The change aimed to reduce ambiguity, as favorites had served dual purposes of appreciation and collection, aligning Twitter's mechanics more closely with platforms like Facebook where hearts universally signal approval. Likes appear as a countable metric below posts and contribute to algorithmic recommendations, with liked content often surfacing in users' notifications and personalized timelines; however, the shift drew criticism from users preferring the star's neutrality for non-endorsing saves. Unlike bookmarks, which privately save posts without public signaling, likes remain visible to the post author and mutual connections unless the account is private. Quote posts, formerly quote tweets, permit users to repost another user's content alongside their own added commentary, embedding the original within a new post to provide context or critique without strictly endorsing it. Introduced on April 7, 2015, as "retweet with comment," the feature circumvented the 140-character limit (then in effect) by allocating separate space for the quote, enabling fuller responses. This update fostered layered discourse but also amplified controversy, as quotes often highlight disagreements, contributing to phenomena like "ratioing" where negative quotes outnumber standard retweets. By September 2020, Twitter formalized the terminology as "Quote Tweets," repositioning the counter between retweets and likes in the interface for easier access to commentary threads. Quote posts maintain the original's metadata while allowing the quoter to add media or text up to the platform's character limit, now 280, and are distinguishable from plain reposts in analytics.

Polls and Bookmarks

Polls enable users to attach interactive voting mechanisms to tweets, consisting of a question and up to four answer options, with a configurable duration ranging from five minutes to seven days. Introduced on October 21, 2015, the feature rolled out initially on iOS, Android, and desktop platforms, allowing one vote per account and displaying real-time results publicly while permitting voters to change selections before polls close. Poll creators can view detailed voter breakdowns, including demographics and locations, accessible via analytics tools for verified accounts or those with sufficient followers. Bookmarks provide a private repository for saving tweets without notifying the original poster or other users, accessible solely by the saving account holder through a dedicated tab in the navigation menu. The feature entered testing in late 2017 as a replacement for informal saving methods like screenshots or third-party tools, with public rollout on mobile apps in February 2018 and subsequent expansion to the web interface in September 2018. Following Elon Musk's acquisition in October 2022, enhancements included public visibility of aggregate bookmark counts on tweets starting in April 2023, alongside UI adjustments such as prominent bookmark buttons in expanded tweet views on iOS by January 2023. These changes aimed to differentiate bookmarks from likes—made private in June 2024—by emphasizing their role in personal curation rather than social signaling. Both features integrate with tweet composition: polls attach directly to new posts, while bookmarks trigger via a dedicated icon on individual tweets, supporting organization through search and chronological sorting without folders or tags as of 2025. No substantive alterations to core poll mechanics have occurred post-rebranding to X in July 2023, preserving their utility for gauging opinions amid platform shifts toward algorithmic prioritization of engagement signals.

Direct Messaging and Lists

Direct messaging on Twitter, now X, enables private text-based conversations between users, supporting one-on-one exchanges and group chats. Initially limited to followers, the feature expanded in April 2015 to allow opt-in receipt of messages from any user, broadening accessibility for outreach and engagement. Group direct messaging was introduced on January 27, 2015, permitting up to 50 participants per conversation for coordinated discussions without public visibility. Users can share media attachments, links, reactions, and formatted cards within messages, with a daily sending limit of 500 direct messages to prevent abuse. Conversations remain accessible via the envelope icon in the platform's interface, with options to block, report, or mute senders for moderation. Encryption for direct messages has undergone iterative development, with X claiming end-to-end protection using public-private key pairs and per-conversation keys as of September 2025 via the XChat interface, encrypting message content, links, and reactions while leaving metadata unencrypted. However, the feature was paused for new messages in May 2025 amid updates, resuming rollout later that year, and cryptography experts have cautioned against relying on it for sensitive communications due to potential vulnerabilities like server-stored keys and incomplete verification mechanisms. X owner Elon Musk asserted on October 21, 2025, that messaging is fully encrypted without dependencies on external services like AWS or advertising integrations, prioritizing user privacy. Twitter Lists, introduced in beta on September 30, 2009, enable users to organize followed accounts into customizable groupings for streamlined content consumption. Each list functions as a dedicated timeline displaying tweets solely from its included accounts, without affecting the main feed or requiring reciprocal follows. Users can create public lists, visible to others with subscriber counts and potential for external following, or private lists shielded from view, supporting up to 1,000 lists per account as expanded in May 2013. Accounts added to lists receive notifications if public, aiding in curation for topics like industry monitoring or personal interests, though overuse has prompted guidelines against spamming notifications. Lists enhance discoverability, as subscribed users view the curator's selections, fostering community aggregation without algorithmic interference.

Multimedia and Live Features

Photo, Video, and GIF Integration

Twitter enabled native photo uploads in June 2011, transitioning from reliance on third-party services such as Twitpic and Photobucket to direct integration within the platform. The rollout began for select users on June 8, 2011, with full availability to all users by August 9, 2011, supporting JPEG, PNG, and GIF formats up to 5 MB per image. Users could attach up to four photos per tweet, displayed as a collage or carousel for enhanced visibility in timelines. Video integration arrived with native uploads on January 27, 2015, permitting clips up to 30 seconds long in MP4 or MOV formats, playable inline without leaving the platform. Initial file size limits were 512 MB, with non-looping playback; lengths later expanded to 140 seconds for standard users and up to several hours for premium subscribers by 2023, capped at 8 GB and 1080p resolution. Videos autoplay muted in timelines, with auto-captions added in subsequent updates to improve accessibility and engagement. Animated GIF support was introduced on June 18, 2014, allowing uploads and inline playback across web and mobile clients, limited to 15 MB for animated files. Integration deepened in February 2016 with native GIF search powered by Giphy and Riffsy, enabling users to browse and attach GIFs directly from a library within the compose interface. By 2022, mixed media tweets combined photos, videos, and GIFs in a single post, supporting up to four items with dynamic previews. These features reduced character count deductions for media links—eliminated entirely by 2015—and prioritized visual content in algorithms, boosting engagement metrics as tweets with images garnered 150% more retweets than text-only posts, per internal platform data from the era. File formats remain restricted to prevent abuse, with compression applied server-side for optimal loading on varying connections.

Streaming Video and Live Broadcasts

Twitter integrated live video broadcasting capabilities in December 2016 with the launch of "Go Live," enabling users to stream directly from the iOS and Android apps, powered by its Periscope acquisition completed in March 2015. This feature allowed real-time broadcasts to followers, with automatic notifications and options to save replays as tweets for later viewing. Prior to native integration, Periscope operated as a standalone app for live streaming, which Twitter acquired to enhance its video offerings amid competition from platforms like Facebook Live. Periscope was discontinued in September 2021, with its core functionality migrated into Twitter's platform to streamline live video tools. Following the rebranding to X in 2023, live broadcasting persists via the X app, where users compose a post, select the live video option, and stream to public audiences unless the account is protected. Viewers can watch ongoing broadcasts or replays appearing in timelines, with sharing enabled through retweets or embeds. For advanced production, X's Media Studio Producer tool, introduced for professional creators, supports ingesting high-quality feeds from external encoders or hardware, including multi-bitrate streaming and RTMP protocol integration for events like sports or conferences. This allows scheduling, graphics overlays, and integration with third-party software for desktop-based broadcasts, expanding beyond mobile-only origins. Regarding pre-recorded streaming video, X supports adaptive bitrate streaming for uploaded clips via HTTP Live Streaming (HLS), ensuring smooth playback across devices, with length limits tiered by subscription: non-premium users capped at 140 seconds, while X Premium subscribers can upload up to 3 hours at 1080p resolution as of 2024 updates. These enhancements prioritize low-latency delivery for both live and on-demand content, though live streams remain ephemeral unless manually saved. Access to initiating live broadcasts shifted to a premium-only feature in late 2024, restricting free users to viewing.

Spaces and Audio Conversations

Twitter Spaces, also known as audio conversations on the platform now rebranded as X, enables users to host and participate in live, real-time audio discussions. The feature debuted in beta testing on December 17, 2020, as Twitter's response to emerging audio social platforms like Clubhouse, allowing select iOS users to create and join virtual chat rooms. By May 3, 2021, Spaces launched publicly to users with at least 600 followers on iOS and Android, appearing as a purple bubble icon on timelines to signal ongoing sessions. Full rollout to all users, regardless of follower count, occurred on October 21, 2021, extending availability to the web platform as well. Functionally, a host initiates a Space by tapping the compose icon and selecting the audio option, setting a title and optional scheduled start time up to 30 days in advance. Participants join as listeners by default, viewing active Spaces via notifications, timelines, or search; listeners can request to speak by raising a hand icon, which the host approves or denies. Hosts and approved co-hosts manage the session, muting speakers, inviting up to 13 speakers (including themselves), and controlling access—public Spaces are discoverable by all, while private ones limit entry to invited users. Sessions support up to 13 speakers and thousands of listeners, with no fixed time limit, though hosts can end them manually. Recording is an optional host-controlled feature, enabled before or during the Space; if activated, only audio from hosts, co-hosts, and speakers is captured, excluding listeners for privacy. Recorded Spaces generate a replay link shareable via tweet, downloadable by the host post-session, and automatically deleted after 30 days unless manually removed. Hosts gain access to analytics, including listener counts, engagement metrics, and demographics, introduced in May 2022 for iOS and Android. Post-rebranding to X in 2023, Spaces integrated with platform enhancements like ticketed events for monetization and AI-assisted captioning, though core mechanics remained consistent. Usage grew significantly, with over 5 million Spaces created in 2024, reflecting its role in community building and real-time discourse. Features emphasize accessibility, including captions for recorded sessions and co-host delegation to distribute moderation duties.

Fleets and Ephemeral Content

Twitter introduced Fleets in November 2020 as its first foray into ephemeral content, allowing users to post temporary updates that vanished after 24 hours. The feature was initially tested in Brazil starting May 2020 before a global rollout on November 17, 2020, positioning it as a competitor to Stories on platforms like Instagram and Snapchat. Fleets supported text, photos, videos up to 15 seconds, and GIFs, displayed in a dedicated horizontal-scrolling feed above the main timeline, separate from permanent tweets to encourage casual sharing without the permanence of standard posts. Interactions were limited to direct messages and emoji reactions, preventing public replies, retweets, or likes to reduce pressure on creators and minimize harassment. Despite aims to boost engagement among less active users by lowering barriers to posting, Fleets saw limited adoption. Internal data indicated insufficient usage to justify continuation, with the feature failing to drive meaningful increases in daily active users or overall platform activity. Twitter's leadership noted that while Fleets insights informed future developments like longer video uploads and editing capabilities, the ephemeral format did not align well with Twitter's core emphasis on enduring public conversations. On July 14, 2021, the company announced discontinuation, with Fleets ceasing functionality on August 3, 2021, less than nine months after wide release. Post-discontinuation, Twitter did not introduce a direct successor for ephemeral content, instead prioritizing persistent media features and real-time discourse tools. Fleets represented an experimental pivot toward multimedia storytelling, but its removal underscored challenges in adapting Twitter's text-centric, archival model to transient formats popularized elsewhere. No subsequent ephemeral features have been launched on the platform as of 2025.

Premium and Subscription Services

Twitter Blue and X Premium Tiers

Twitter Blue was initially launched on June 3, 2021, as a paid subscription service available in select countries including Australia and Canada, providing users with enhanced features such as customizable navigation icons, bookmark folders, an undo tweet option within a short window, and reader mode for long threads. The service aimed to offer premium utilities without altering core platform access, priced at approximately $2.99 per month at inception. Following Elon Musk's acquisition of Twitter in October 2022, Twitter Blue underwent significant revisions, relaunching on December 12, 2022, at $8 per month via web, with the addition of a blue checkmark for verified subscribers, post editing (limited to one hour after posting), longer video uploads, and approximately half the ads compared to non-subscribers. This iteration tied legacy verification status to ongoing payment, replacing prior free eligibility based on notability, and required accounts to be at least 90 days old with a confirmed phone number. In July 2023, concurrent with the rebranding of Twitter to X, the service was renamed X Premium and expanded into three tiers—Basic, Premium, and Premium+—to cater to varying user needs, with features accumulating across higher levels. Pricing is set for web subscriptions and varies by country, with Basic at $3 monthly or $32 annually, Premium at $8 monthly or $84 annually, and Premium+ at $40 monthly or $395 annually. Eligibility for the blue checkmark in Premium and Premium+ tiers requires a profile photo, display name, and adherence to X's rules, alongside phone verification.
TierMonthly Price (Web)Key Differentiating Features
Basic$3Edit posts (1-hour window), longer posts (up to 25,000 characters), longer video uploads (up to 3 hours or 8 GB), create and host communities, download videos, custom navigation, text formatting in posts; no ad reduction or checkmark.
Premium$8All Basic features plus ~50% fewer ads in For You and Following timelines, blue checkmark (if eligible), reply prioritization, creator revenue sharing, ID verification, Media Studio access, bookmark folders.
Premium+$40All Premium features plus ad-free experience in most areas (excluding ads in replies and while searching), largest reply boost, higher usage limits for Grok AI, access to Radar Search and Articles publishing.
X Premium's structure emphasizes improved visibility, content creation tools, and reduced spam through subscription incentives, though empirical analyses of reach boosts vary, with some studies indicating modest algorithmic prioritization for paid users without guaranteeing significant engagement gains. The tiers support monetization options like ad revenue sharing for Premium subscribers meeting impression thresholds, fostering a model where payment correlates with platform privileges previously reserved for influential accounts.

Subscriptions, Super Follows, and Creator Tools

Twitter introduced Super Follows in September 2021 as a monetization tool enabling eligible creators to charge followers a monthly subscription fee of $2.99, $4.99, or $9.99 for access to exclusive content, such as bonus tweets, subscriber-only replies, and priority in replies. Subscribers received perks including a special badge next to the creator's name and early access to new features like Ticketed Spaces. To qualify, creators needed at least 10,000 followers, to be over 18 years old, and to have been active on the platform for at least three months with verified status in select countries initially. In April 2023, following Elon Musk's acquisition, Super Follows was rebranded as Subscriptions to streamline creator monetization options, allowing users to publish exclusive long-form posts, videos, and other content behind a paywall. The feature retained the tiered pricing model while expanding eligibility criteria, such as requiring 500 active followers and 5 million impressions over three months for monetization access, with payouts sharing up to 97% of revenue to creators until they reach $50,000 in lifetime earnings. By 2025, Subscriptions integrated with broader creator tools, including auto-enrollment for eligible accounts into revenue streams like ad sharing, and tools for managing subscriber lists, content gating, and analytics on engagement metrics. Creator tools supporting Subscriptions encompass dashboard features for setting subscription tiers, previewing exclusive content, and tracking earnings, with monthly payouts issued once thresholds like $10 in revenue are met, processed via Stripe in supported regions. These tools emphasize direct fan support over ad dependency, though revenue varies widely based on audience size and engagement, with top creators reporting higher retention through personalized perks like subscriber-only Spaces or AMAs. X's official guidelines stress compliance with platform policies to maintain access, barring accounts with repeated violations from monetization.

Tip Jar, Ad Revenue Sharing, and Monetization

The Tip Jar feature, introduced by Twitter on May 6, 2021, enables eligible users to receive direct monetary tips from followers through integrated third-party payment services such as PayPal, Venmo, Cash App, Patreon, and Bitcoin via Strike. Initially rolled out to select iOS and Android users aged 18 and older who set their birthdate in their profile, it added a dedicated icon to participating profiles for easy access. By June 2021, the feature expanded internationally, including integration with India's Razorpay payment gateway to support local transactions. As of 2025, Tip Jar remains available as a low-barrier entry for creators to solicit voluntary support, though earnings depend on audience generosity rather than platform guarantees, with Twitter taking no direct cut from tips. Ad revenue sharing, launched in July 2023 following Elon Musk's acquisition of Twitter (rebranded as X), allows eligible creators to earn a portion of revenue from advertisements displayed in replies to their posts. To qualify as of October 2025, accounts must subscribe to X Premium or Verified Organizations, have at least 500 active followers, generate 5 million organic impressions over the preceding three months, maintain activity for the same period, and link a Stripe account for payouts, with users required to be 18 or older. Earlier criteria in late 2024 briefly raised the verified follower threshold to 2,000 before reverting, reflecting iterative adjustments to combat bot activity and ensure genuine engagement. Payouts occur once earnings reach $10, primarily driven by impressions from verified users, though actual shares vary based on ad performance and X's undisclosed revenue split formula, which prioritizes high-engagement content. Broader monetization options complement these features, including Subscriptions (formerly Super Follows), introduced in 2021 and rebranded to enable creators to charge monthly fees—typically $2.99 to $9.99—for exclusive content like bonus posts, badges, and subscriber-only replies. Eligibility mirrors ad revenue requirements, with X retaining approximately 3% of fees after app store cuts, providing a recurring revenue stream less volatile than ads or tips. These tools collectively shifted Twitter toward a creator economy model post-2022 acquisition, emphasizing direct fan support over advertiser dependency, though success hinges on audience size and content quality amid platform-wide engagement algorithms.

Verification, Safety, and Moderation Tools

Verified Accounts and Authentication

Twitter introduced account verification in June 2007 as a means to authenticate high-profile users, such as celebrities, journalists, and organizations, by granting a blue checkmark badge next to their usernames to distinguish them from impostors. The process involved Twitter's internal review team evaluating accounts based on criteria including notability (demonstrated through media coverage or public significance), profile completeness, account activity, and policy compliance, with approximately 425,000 accounts verified by late 2022. This selective, free system aimed to combat impersonation but was criticized for opacity and potential favoritism toward established figures, as the exact notability thresholds were not publicly detailed. Following Elon Musk's acquisition of Twitter in October 2022, the verification system underwent a rapid overhaul, tying the blue checkmark to a paid Twitter Blue (later X Premium) subscription priced at $8 per month, effective November 2022. New eligibility criteria required subscribers to verify a phone number, maintain an account active for at least 30 days with no recent deceptive behavior, and avoid recent changes to username or profile photo, shifting verification from notability-based to subscription-based to generate revenue and purportedly reduce bot accounts. Legacy verified accounts lost their badges unless they subscribed, with the phase-out completing by April 1, 2023, after which the blue checkmark solely signified an active X Premium subscription meeting basic standards rather than independent authenticity confirmation. This change expanded access—potentially to millions—but drew concerns over increased scam risks, as paying users could mimic legitimate entities without notability proof. In parallel, Twitter's authentication mechanisms emphasize secure login protocols beyond basic username and password entry. Two-factor authentication (2FA) has been available since 2013, initially via SMS codes sent to verified phone numbers, but in March 2023, non-premium users were required to switch to authenticator apps or hardware security keys for continued 2FA access, citing SMS vulnerabilities like SIM-swapping attacks. Premium subscribers retain SMS options alongside app-based (e.g., time-based one-time passwords via QR code setup) and security key methods, which provide phishing-resistant authentication using standards like FIDO2. Users can generate backup codes for recovery during 2FA prompts, and login attempts trigger notifications for suspicious activity, with account recovery tied to email or phone verification. These features prioritize layered security, though reliance on premium tiers for certain methods has been noted to potentially limit broad adoption among free users.

Community Notes and Crowd-Sourced Fact-Checking

Community Notes is a crowd-sourced moderation feature on X, formerly Twitter, enabling eligible contributors to propose and rate contextual notes attached to posts deemed potentially misleading. The system displays a note only if it achieves consensus across ideologically diverse raters, using a "bridging" algorithm that prioritizes agreement between users with differing viewpoints to reduce partisan bias. This approach contrasts with centralized fact-checking by relying on distributed input from volunteers who must demonstrate consistent, helpful ratings over time, requiring a minimum of 10 ratings for initial assessment. Originally piloted as Birdwatch in the United States in early 2021, the feature expanded to all U.S. users on October 6, 2022, and globally on December 11, 2022, coinciding with its rebranding to Community Notes following Elon Musk's acquisition of the platform. Contributors, selected based on their track record of providing substantive, non-abusive input, draft notes linking to evidence, which are then rated by peers for relevance and accuracy. The algorithm evaluates note quality by simulating perceptions from representative rater subsets, ensuring visibility only for those likely deemed helpful by a broad audience. Expansion has included support for multiple languages, with English and Spanish comprising over 60% of notes, though coverage remains uneven in regions like South Asia due to limited local language raters. Recent enhancements, such as notes for images launched on May 31, 2023, address manipulated or AI-generated visuals. Studies indicate that attached notes reduce post engagement and diffusion of false information, with one analysis showing decreased virality and self-reported belief in misinformation. Perceptions of note helpfulness correlate with the cited sources' perceived neutrality; notes referencing high-bias outlets, regardless of political leaning, are rated lower. While empirical evidence supports reduced misinformation spread, critiques highlight potential ideological skews in rater pools and over-reliance on English-dominant sources, though the system's design aims to counterbalance such issues through cross-spectrum validation. Community Notes has influenced similar initiatives on other platforms, underscoring its role in decentralized content moderation.

Safety Mode and Content Controls

Safety Mode is an opt-in feature introduced by Twitter on September 1, 2021, designed to automatically limit interactions from accounts engaging in abusive or disruptive behavior, such as sending insults, hateful remarks, or repeated uninvited replies and mentions. The tool uses natural language processing to analyze tweet content and user relationships, temporarily blocking offending accounts for seven days while exempting those the user follows or frequently interacts with. Users can review and unblock accounts via settings, with initial rollout limited to English-language accounts in a beta phase on iOS, Android, and web platforms. As of 2025, Safety Mode remains available on X (formerly Twitter), though its proactive autoblocking has been supplemented by enhanced user-driven controls amid platform shifts toward reduced centralized moderation. Complementary content controls include options to filter sensitive media, such as violence or nudity, where users can enable display of potentially sensitive content in settings under "Privacy and safety" > "Content you see," requiring users to be at least 18 years old based on birth date. Posters can mark individual media as sensitive with one-time warnings, aiding algorithmic identification without mandatory flagging. Additional controls encompass muting keywords, phrases, or hashtags to hide unwanted content from timelines and notifications; blocking accounts to prevent interactions while allowing visibility of public posts (updated policy as of October 2024); and muting accounts or conversations without notification. Users can also restrict replies to followed accounts or mentioned users only, and manage direct message requests via filtered inbox settings to segregate unsolicited messages. These tools prioritize user agency over platform-enforced filters, reflecting post-2022 policy emphasizing free expression with personal customization.

Advanced Integrations and AI Features

Grok AI Integration

Grok AI, developed by xAI, integrates into the X platform (formerly Twitter) as an AI assistant accessible to subscribers, enabling real-time interactions informed by public X data. Launched initially in November 2023, Grok became available to X Premium users starting in early 2024, allowing them to query the AI for insights on posts, trends, and current events directly within the app or web interface via the sidebar or @grok mentions. This integration leverages X's vast stream of real-time social data to provide context-aware responses, such as summarizing discussions or analyzing post content, distinguishing it from standalone chatbots. Access tiers determine usage limits and capabilities: X Premium ($8/month) grants basic access with query caps around 50 per period, while Premium+ ($16/month) offers higher limits (up to 100-200 queries every two hours for advanced models), no ads, and priority features like enhanced reasoning modes. SuperGrok, a premium add-on for Premium+ users, unlocks the latest models such as Grok 4—released July 9, 2025—with native tool use, real-time web search, and multimodal processing for tasks like code generation or data analysis tied to X content. Platform-specific features include Grok's ability to reference live X posts for factual grounding, reducing reliance on outdated training data, and tools like DeepSearch for in-depth trend exploration. Additional integrations, such as Grok Imagine (introduced August 2025), enable Premium+ users to generate images or short videos from text prompts within X conversations, enhancing creative and explanatory uses of the platform. These capabilities position Grok as a core enhancement for X's information ecosystem, though usage is gated behind subscriptions to prioritize paying users and manage computational demands.

Video Responses, Tabs, and Generation Tools

In March 2025, X introduced a "React with video" feature, enabling users to post short video responses directly to posts, akin to reaction videos on platforms like TikTok. This option appears in the reply interface, allowing quick recording and overlay of the original post content for context, aimed at increasing video engagement and interaction depth. The feature supports native video uploads, with X prioritizing such responses in algorithmic feeds to encourage multimedia replies over text-only ones. X launched a dedicated Video Tab in January 2025 for U.S. users, providing a full-screen, vertical-scroll feed of video content accessible via the app's bottom navigation bar. This tab aggregates recommended videos based on user interests, replacing the previous Communities tab and facilitating seamless discovery of short-form and long-form videos without leaving the feed. The rollout emphasizes X's shift toward video-first content, with algorithmic curation drawing from trends, follows, and engagement signals to personalize the experience. By mid-2025, the tab expanded eligibility, boosting video views as creators adapted to its immersive format. Generation tools on X primarily leverage xAI's Grok integration for AI-driven content creation, including image and video generation available to Premium subscribers. In December 2024, Grok added text-to-image capabilities, allowing users to generate visuals from prompts directly within the platform, with support for image inputs for editing or variation. Subsequent updates in 2025 introduced Grok Imagine, extending to short video clips from text or images, featuring audio synchronization and upscale options for higher resolution outputs. These tools include fewer content restrictions than competitors, permitting "spicy" or NSFW generations under user discretion, though xAI enforces limits on illegal or harmful prompts. Access occurs via Grok chats on X, where users input descriptive prompts for outputs embeddable in posts, enhancing creative workflows for text, code, and multimedia. By October 2025, versions like Grok Imagine v0.9 emphasized voice-first inputs for video, streamlining production for rapid sharing.

Upcoming Payments, Investments, and X Money

X Payments LLC, the financial arm of X Corp., has obtained money transmitter licenses in 41 states as of January 2025, enabling the rollout of peer-to-peer payment services across much of the United States. In partnership with Visa, X launched a digital wallet feature in early 2025, allowing users to store funds and conduct instant transfers, with initial emphasis on tipping creators and purchasing subscriptions directly on the platform. X CEO Linda Yaccarino announced in December 2024 that the full X Money payment system would debut in 2025, positioning it as a core component of the platform's evolution into a financial super app. By May 2025, X Money entered a limited-access beta phase, focusing on secure handling of user funds amid regulatory scrutiny in states like New York, where approvals remain pending due to concerns over the platform's content moderation history. The system supports low-fee transactions, speculated at 1.5-2% for certain operations, and integrates with existing monetization tools like ad revenue sharing, aiming to facilitate seamless in-app commerce for X's over 600 million users. In parallel, X plans to introduce investment and trading capabilities in 2025, enabling users to buy and sell stocks, cryptocurrencies, and other assets directly within the app, as confirmed by Yaccarino in June 2025 interviews. These features build on the payments infrastructure, potentially including credit card issuance and brokerage services, to create a unified financial ecosystem, though full implementation depends on securing additional regulatory approvals and partnerships. Elon Musk has projected that such expansions could significantly boost platform revenue, targeting quintupling it to $26.4 billion annually within six years through diversified financial services.

Third-Party, Mobile, and Discontinued Features

Third-Party Applications and API Access

Third-party applications have historically integrated with X (formerly Twitter) via its application programming interface (API), enabling features such as alternative clients, analytics tools, and automated posting services. Prior to Elon Musk's acquisition in October 2022, the platform offered relatively open API access, supporting diverse apps like TweetDeck (acquired by X in 2022) and third-party clients such as Tweetbot. Following the acquisition, X restricted API access to combat bot proliferation and generate revenue, announcing on February 2, 2023, the elimination of legacy free tiers effective February 27, 2023. This shift introduced paid subscription models, with the free tier limited to write-only access for testing (500 posts per month per app or user, 100 reads per month). Basic access, initially $100 per month, increased to $200 per month by October 2024, offering up to 50,000 posts and 10,000 reads monthly; Pro tier at $5,000 per month provides 1 million reads and advanced features like search endpoints; Enterprise tiers start at $42,000 per month for commercial-scale access. These changes significantly impacted third-party developers, prompting shutdowns of popular apps including Tweetbot, Fenix, and Talon due to unsustainable costs, while academic and research tools faced data access barriers, as noted in a 2023 University of Bath study highlighting threats to social media research from API restrictions across platforms like X. In August 2023, X retired legacy endpoints and enforced stricter policies, effectively blocking many unofficial clients to prioritize official apps. Additional fees emerged, such as $1 per connected user account starting November 2024, further straining small developers. Current policies require developer approval via X's portal, adherence to rate limits, and compliance with the Developer Agreement, which prohibits certain uses like spam or unauthorized data resale; users can review and revoke app access through account settings. By June 2025, X announced plans to transition toward a revenue-sharing model for API usage, aiming to align costs with app-generated value, though details remain implementation-dependent. Despite these barriers, the API continues to support integrations for login authentication, ads, and limited streaming for approved tiers.

Mobile-Specific Enhancements

The X mobile applications for iOS and Android provide several enhancements optimized for touch-based interfaces and device hardware, distinguishing them from the web version. These include gesture-driven interactions, such as customizable swipe gestures introduced in November 2024, allowing users to perform actions like liking, replying, reposting, bookmarking, or marking content as "not interested" by swiping left or right on posts in the timeline. This feature, accessible via Settings > Timeline > Post Interaction, replaces visible engagement buttons for a cleaner interface and is unavailable on the web due to the lack of native swipe support. Hosting and active participation in X Spaces, the platform's live audio conversation feature launched in 2021, is restricted to mobile apps on iOS (version 9.15+) and Android (version 9.46+), where users tap a microphone icon to initiate or join as speakers. Web users can only listen passively, missing out on real-time speaking capabilities, scheduling up to 14 days in advance, and recording options for indefinite-duration sessions. Mobile hosting leverages device microphones and integrates with notifications for attendee reminders, enhancing accessibility for on-the-go audio events. Push notifications deliver instant, device-vibrating alerts for mentions, likes, and follows, providing more immediate engagement than web-based preferences, which rely on browser permissions and lack haptic feedback. iOS apps include haptic feedback for interactions like video uploads, supporting 60 frames-per-second clips, while Android versions cap at 30 fps, reflecting platform-specific optimizations. Additionally, mobile-exclusive displays for verified NFT profile pictures (requiring X Premium) and seamless camera/GPS integration enable quick media capture with precise location tagging, features less fluid on desktop. Earlier enhancements, such as iOS-specific inline web browsing within tweets (rolled out March 2013) and improved autocomplete for searches, further tailor the experience to mobile workflows. These adaptations prioritize portability and sensory feedback, though they can demand more taps for actions like media attachment compared to web one-click options.

Discontinued Features like Moments, Circles, and NFTs

Twitter Moments was a feature launched in October 2015 that permitted users and publishers to compile and share curated collections of tweets, often highlighting events or stories. The platform restricted new Moment creation on iOS and Android apps starting October 23, 2018, citing low usage. By December 7, 2022, Twitter eliminated the ability to create Moments for most users entirely, stating that "not all moments last" as resources shifted to higher-priority developments. Twitter Circles, introduced in July 2021, enabled users to post tweets visible only to a handpicked group of up to 150 followers, functioning as a privacy-focused alternative to public broadcasting. The feature faced technical issues, including a 2023 bug that exposed Circle tweets to non-members' feeds. X announced its deprecation in September 2023, with functionality ceasing on October 31, 2023; after this date, users could no longer create Circle-limited posts or add members, though existing Circles remained viewable until manually dissolved. NFT profile picture support allowed Twitter Blue subscribers to authenticate and display non-fungible token (NFT) images as hexagonal avatars starting in early 2022, verifying ownership via blockchain integration. In January 2024, X silently discontinued the feature, removing the hexagon option and reverting existing NFT avatars to standard circular format without prior announcement or user notification. This change aligned with broader market declines in NFT trading volumes, which dropped over 90% from 2021 peaks by late 2023.

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  204. https://www.pcgamer.com/nfts-are-so-dead-even-elon-musk-has-dropped-them-nft-avatars-on-twitter-are-gone/