It’s rolling out first to Twitter on iOS, and soon to many of the best Android phones and the web. Beta testing for the new capability started in October of last year.
Twitter has announced that it is revamping its feed making it easier for users to switch between the algorithmically programmed Home timeline and “Latest” tweets.
For the uninitiated, Home timeline is the feed that you see by default when you open Twitter. ‘Latest’ timeline is enabled after clicking on the ‘spark’ icon that lets you switch to the latest tweet first option. But, this is changing. Now, you can switch between Home and Latest tweets without the need of repeatedly tapping the sparkle icon.
“Top Tweets first or latest Tweets first? We’re making it easier to switch between the two timelines and know which one you’re scrolling. Now testing with some of you on iOS: swipe between “Home” and “Latest” on the Home tab to choose which Tweets you see first,” the microblogging platform tweeted Friday.
Some of the Twitter users were quick to point out that the new feature defaults to the Home timeline each time a user opens the app. It should be noted that this wasn’t the case earlier.
According to TechCrunch, the development comes amid increasing regulatory pressure on tech companies to make their algorithmic recommendation systems even more transparent. Meanwhile, photo sharing app recently Instagram promised to re-introduce a chronological feed option.
In other news, Twitter launched its website on the Tor (The Onion Router) network according to an announcement made by software developer and internet security evangelist Alec Muffett on Twitter. This move from the company comes at a time when the Russian government has banned access to sites like Twitter, Facebook and some news platforms in an apparent attempt to cut off the domestic audience from news and opinions from around the world.
Source: indianexpress.com
