As the year comes to a close, Twitter looks back today on all the products that were rolled out in 2021. We introduced new ways for Filipinos to connect, monetize their exclusive content only on Twitter, and also invested efforts into keeping Twitter safe and inclusive. Embracing experimentation, we tested features that make it easier for people to join and follow conversations, and evaluated their feedback on what worked and what didn’t.
We said goodbye to Fleets and Periscope and used the insights and lessons learned to better serve public conversation. And as people continue to crave for close connections amidst social distancing and (semi) closed borders, we introduced live audio conversations with Twitter Spaces. We found that hearing people’s voices brings conversations on Twitter to life in a completely refreshing way, adding a layer of empathy and connection.
We’ve continued iterating and delivering features and improvements to our products based on feedback from the people who use it. Check out the full list of products that has helped people you more connected with their communities below 👇
New ways to have a conversation
- Let’s talk anytime, anywhere (May 2021)
We introduced Twitter Spaces for live audio conversations on Twitter. We found that hearing people’s voices brings conversations on Twitter to life in a completely new way, adding a layer of empathy and connection.
Spaces encourages and unlocks real, open conversations on Twitter with the authenticity and nuance only the human voice can bring. We’ve been consistently rolling out new features for Spaces this year, adding several improvements to the product. For example, hosts can schedule Spaces, record Spaces they create for replay, and we started testing a Spaces tab to help people find conversations they might be interested in joining. So far, millions of people have tuned into Spaces all over the world.
You can read the Blog or check out @TwitterSpaces for more info. Available on Twitter for iOS, Android and web globally.
- Find your tribe on Twitter (Sep 2021)
We started testing Communities on Twitter to connect people who care and want to talk about the same things, whether it’s about favourite skincare products, formula one or #astrology. When you join a Community, you can Tweet directly to that group instead of to all your followers. Only members in the same Community are able to reply and join a conversation, and Communities are managed by moderators. So far there are hundreds of Communities available on Twitter and we expect to continue to grow the number of Communities once we introduce public Community creation in 2022.
Read the Blog and follow @HiCommunities for more info. Available on Twitter for iOS and Web globally, the team is working to launch Android app functionality before the end of the year and along with expanding communities to more people spanning even more interests, is working to add many more features and improvements to the product.
Supporting creators on Twitter
- Show your $upport with Tip$ (May 2021)
We created Tips as an easy way to support your favourite voices on Twitter, allowing people to receive and show support with money. Twitter takes no cut, and payments are facilitated through third party services like PayPal, Patreon, Razorpay and more. People can choose to add Tips to their profile through their account settings.
In September we also added alternative payment services to Tips – and allowed people to pay each other through Bitcoin using Strike, a payments application built on the Bitcoin Lightning Network, so people can send and receive Bitcoin Tips free and instantly. We are constantly evaluating new payment services to add to Tips to make it even more accessible and convenient for people around the world.
See the Blog and Tweet for more info. Available globally on Twitter for iOS and Android.
- Making Twitter a better place for writers (Aug 2021)
Writers are central to the conversation on Twitter. They use Twitter to share their work, spark meaningful conversation and build a loyal following. Twitter wants to be the home for writers, offering them new ways to create, share and monetise their content, and importantly, help them grow and better connect with their audience. Earlier this year, Twitter acquired Revue, a service that makes it free and easy for anyone to start and publish editorial newsletters, to accelerate our work to support all types of writers and a way to monetize their audience. In August, we launched a way for newsletter creators to add a subscribe button directly on their Twitter Profiles.
Visit the Help Center, check out Blog, follow @Revue for more info. Available on Twitter for iOS and Android. The subscribe button is only available for a test group on Android and web.
All while ensuring conversations stay healthy and inclusive
- Say goodbye to auto-crop (May 2021)
After successful testing, we rolled out improvements to how images appear on your Home timeline. This work is a direct result of the feedback people shared with us last year that the way our algorithm cropped images wasn’t equitable. Now, Tweets that include a single, standard aspect ratio image appear uncropped.
Tweet authors are also able to see a preview of what the image will look like in the Tweet composer tool before it’s posted. This was a first step of our larger plan to improve media on Twitter, so that people can share and see content in its original intended form, and have more flexibility and control over how their photos appear on their timeline. Bye auto-crop!
Know more about this feature by checking out this Tweet. Available globally on Twitter for iOs, Android and the web.
- New and Improved Misinfo Labels (Jul 2021)
We’ve rolled out redesigned misinformation labels to help people more easily know when a Tweet’s content is potentially misleading. These labels will appear with colour-coded backgrounds, making them much more visible in the feed while giving people a way to quickly parse the information from visual cues.
We’ve found that even tiny shifts in design could impact how people interact with labelled Tweets, with more people clicking into the new labels for additional context, and fewer people Retweeting or liking potentially misleading Tweets.
Check out this Tweet for more info. Available on Twitter for most people globally.
- Your Tweets = Your Space (Jul 2021)
To give people more control over the convos they start, we rolled out a Conversation Settings update to allow people to “Change who can reply” to a Tweet midway through a conversation. We’ve learned Conversation Settings help some people feel safer by limiting these unwanted replies so they can participate in more meaningful conversations, while still allowing people to see different points of view.
See Tweet for more info. Available on Twitter for iOS, Android and web globally.
- Improving media on Twitter (Sep 2021)
We upgraded the quality of photos and videos posted to Twitter, and began testing edge to edge Tweets so your photos, GIFs, and videos can have more room to shine. What’s more, you can share your Tweets to Instagram and YouTube, to give people even more ways to express themselves.
Read these Tweets for more info: Tweet, Tweet, and Tweet. Testing on Twitter for iOS and Android
- Choose who follows you (Sep 2021)
We heard people’s feedback that they wanted more control over their timelines and their followers. This year, we rolled out a feature to help you curate your own follower list. Without directly Blocking someone, any person can go in, tap through to their list of Followers and actively remove that person from following them.
Visit this Tweet for more info. Available globally on Twitter for the web.
