The changes are part of Twitter’s ongoing work to make its platform more accessible and less confusing to users. In a blog post today, the company said it is responding to user feedback that the spontaneous nature of tweets isn’t always ideal. There’s currently no way for users to mark a tweet as something to revisit later, which can reduce the value of posts seen on the platform.
A high proportion of content shared on Twitter consists of news links and informative articles. Users may want to save these for later viewing so they can continue browsing Twitter before reading the content. This is the kind of scenario which Bookmarks is designed for.
You’ll now see a new “Add Tweet to Bookmarks” option in the menu below tweets. Tapping the button adds the selected tweet to your Bookmarks list, which is accessible from the main profile menu. The Bookmarks view displays all the tweets that you’ve saved, so you can resurface them at any time and consume content you’d otherwise have missed.
Twitter started work on Bookmarks over a year ago. It has been testing and iterating on the feature ever since, refining it into the version that’s being broadly launched today. The company thanked its users for providing feedback on how Bookmarks should work, noting that requests for a save button were “valuable” in shaping the update.
Found something historic?
Don’t want to forget a joke?
Article that you want to read later?Save the Tweet with Bookmarks, and come back to it whenever you want. Only you can see your Bookmarks. pic.twitter.com/fM2QLcOYNF
— Twitter (@Twitter) February 28, 2018
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“We learned that you like to save replies so you can answer later and that you may share a Tweet hours or days later after you’ve bookmarked it,” said Twitter. “Thank you for being part of this process – your feedback was valuable in building this update, and it made it all the more fun for us as we built a new feature for you. As a result, we all have an easier way to save, share, and stay informed.”
Twitter’s also launching a new share button that contains options to bookmark a tweet, send it in a message or use its content in an external app. Improved sharing controls are another oft-requested Twitter feature which will make the app simpler and more intuitive to use. Twitter’s previously acknowledged that its platform is too complicated for new users, an admission which has inspired several improvements over the past year.
Bookmarks and the share button are rolling out globally today across all supported Twitter clients. The company’s website, mobile site, iOS and Android apps will all be updated as the launch progresses. Twitter’s also launching the features on its pared-back “lite” apps, ensuring the broadest possible range of users can access them.
