If you’ve ever used “THREAD” to headline a tweet and number the subsequent posts in your rant, congratulations, you’ve created a tweetstorm. Regrettably, constructing one is a pain in the ass, and it seems that Twitter agrees.
That’s why this particular discovery by an eagle-eyed Twitter user has caught many an eye.
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WOAH! Twitter has a hidden tweet storm feature!
h/t Devesh Logendran pic.twitter.com/QpDLhKnAZZ
— Matt Navarra
(@MattNavarra) September 10, 2017
Two screenshots sent to The Next Web’s Matt Navarra depict a graphical feature within the Twitter Android app that allows users to compose tweetstorms in their entirety and then smash the send button once they’re ready. This system differs from the current, awkward trial of self-replying to previous tweets one after the other.
A feature like this might seem redundant to those who merely dabble in single replies, but for those making a lengthy point, it’s massively welcome.
There remain inadequacies though. It seems that users will still need to number their posts, but instead of a “tweet” button in the bottom right, there’s an option to add threads. Twitter still ensures that each post remains within its 140 character confines, but there’s seemingly no limit to the number of posts you can thread.
Twitter has a hidden tweetstorm feature that allows users to post lengthy threads in one fell swoop
When users have had their fill, a “Tweet All” button at the top right will post the entire string to the social network, while a notification “Tweeting your thread” shows the user the progress of posted tweets.
Notably, from the appearance of the screenshots, the feature looks remarkably polished and an organic part of the app itself. According to Navarra, it’s hidden in the app at present, but could the feature hit the official Twitter builds in the coming weeks? That’s debatable, but the company is nonetheless late for its own party.
Other services have been addressing this issue for ages. Services like Tttthreads allows users to view a tweetstorm by adding the first tweet’s URL, while Thread Tweets (developed by South African Kgothatso Ngako) allows users to post tweetstorms to the social network.
Twitter has yet to comment on the feature.
