Twitter users have been clamouring for a feature that gives them the ability to edit tweets after they has been sent. For a while now, the call for an edit button has been all over, and it seems the days of having an edit button are gradually drawing nearer.
Hopes for the addition of an edit button has once again been raised as Twitter has revealed that it is actually in the process of testing the “Edit Tweet” feature.
“Edit Tweet is a feature that lets people make changes to their Tweet after it’s been published. Think of it as a short period of time to do things like fix typos, add missed tags, and more,” Twitter explained.
According to the release posted on Twitter blog, tweets sent will be editable for the first 30 minutes, and will include some information to show that the tweet has been edited.
“Tweets will be able to be edited a few times in the 30 minutes following their publication. Edited Tweets will appear with an icon, timestamp, and label so it’s clear to readers that the original Tweet has been modified.“
The microblogging site noted that the test phase of the feature is only open to a small group of Twitter users, and this would be used to gather necessary information about how the feature will work. The company also added that the feature will be activated for its users that are subscribed to “Twitter Blue.”
“Later this month, we’ll be expanding Edit Tweet access to Twitter Blue subscribers. As part of their subscription, they receive early access to features and help us test them before they come to Twitter. The test will be localized to a single country at first and expand as we learn and observe how people use Edit Tweet. We’ll also be paying close attention to how the feature impacts the way people read, write, and engage with Tweets.”
Notably enough, Twitter Blue already has an tweet undo feature. This is a feature that allows Twitter Blue subscribers to undo a tweet within 30 seconds, if they spot an error.
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Earlier this year, Twitter’s VP of consumer product, Jay Sullivan, said that the ability to edit a tweets has been “the most requested Twitter feature for many years.” Although, the edit button is a widely requested feature, there has also been concern around misuse.
Jack Dorsey, co-founder, and former CEO of Twitter, resisted an Edit Tweet feature. Dorsey was reported in 2020 to have said that Twitter would “probably never” add the feature.
Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and a couple of others have the edit feature running on their platforms already, and so far, their has not been a lot of high-profile abuses recorded.