MANILA, PHILIPPINES — As the year comes to a close, Twitter looks back today on all the products that were rolled out in 2021. They 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, the platform tested features that make it easier for people to join and follow conversations and evaluated their feedback on what worked and what didn’t.
Twitter 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, they introduced live audio conversations with Twitter Spaces. The social media app found that hearing people’s voices brings conversations on Twitter to life in a completely refreshing way, adding a layer of empathy and connection.
Twitter continued iterating and delivering features and improvements to its products based on feedback from the people who use it. Check out the full list of products that has helped people connect with their communities below 👇
New ways to have a conversation
- Let’s talk anytime, anywhere (May 2021)
Twitter introduced Twitter Spaces for live audio conversations on the platform. 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. The social media site has 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.
the time has arrived — we’re now rolling out the ability for everyone on iOS and Android to host a Space
if this is your first time hosting, welcome! here’s a refresher on how pic.twitter.com/cLH8z0bocy
— Spaces (@TwitterSpaces) October 21, 2021
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)
Twitter started testing Communities to connect people who care and want to talk about the same things, whether it’s about favorite skincare products, formula one, or #astrology. When a user joins a Community, they can Tweet directly to that group instead of to all of a user’s 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 it is expected to continue to grow the number of Communities once we introduce public Community creation in 2022.
imagine an alternate timeline where everyone just gets you
say hi to Communities—the place to connect with people who Tweet like you. testing now on iOS and web, Android soon! pic.twitter.com/TJdKwUa4D2
— Twitter Communities (@HiCommunities) September 8, 2021
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)
Twitter created Tips as an easy way to support users’ favorite 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, the platform 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. Twitter is constantly evaluating new payment services to add to Tips to make it even more accessible and convenient for people around the world.
tested the Tips feature, turns out people love money
rolling out on iOS with Android coming soon pic.twitter.com/pkmLHzg6fu
— Twitter (@Twitter) September 23, 2021
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 monetize 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 the work to support all types of writers and a way to monetize their audience. In August, the platform launched a way for newsletter creators to add a subscribe button directly on their Twitter Profiles.
And just like that, it’s available to everyone!
Your followers can now subscribe to your Revue newsletter directly from your Twitter profile. Available today on iOS, Android, and web. 🧡
Turn it on with just a few taps in your Revue account: https://t.co/C1eF1iLEqe pic.twitter.com/8SeuvVJMhw
— Twitter Write (@TwitterWrite) September 8, 2021
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, Twitter rolled out improvements to how images appear on one’s Home timeline. This work is a direct result of the feedback people shared with the platform 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 a 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)
Twitter rolled out redesigned misinformation labels to help people more easily know when a Tweet’s content is potentially misleading. These labels will appear with color-coded backgrounds, making them much more visible in the feed while giving people a way to quickly parse the information from visual cues.
The app found that even tiny shifts in design could impact how people interact with labeled Tweets, with more people clicking into the new labels for additional context, and fewer people Retweeting or liking potentially misleading Tweets.
Last year, we started using labels to let you know when a Tweet may include misleading information.
For some of you on web, we’ll be testing a new label design with more context to help you better understand why a Tweet may be misleading. https://t.co/p1KONJz5Vo pic.twitter.com/m55f4RlMDg
— Twitter Support (@TwitterSupport) July 1, 2021
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, Twitter rolled out a Conversation Settings update to allow people to “Change who can reply” to a Tweet midway through a conversation. The social media app has learned that 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)
The social media app 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, users can share Tweets to Instagram and YouTube, to give people even more ways to express themselves.
Now testing on iOS:
Edge to edge Tweets that span the width of the timeline so your photos, GIFs, and videos can have more room to shine. pic.twitter.com/luAHoPjjlY
— Twitter Support (@TwitterSupport) September 7, 2021
Read these Tweets for more info: Tweet, Tweet, and Tweet. Testing on Twitter for iOS and Android
- Choose who follows you (Sep 2021)
Twitter took note of people’s feedback that they wanted more control over their timelines and their followers. This year, the platform rolled out a feature to help users curate their 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.
We're making it easier to be the curator of your own followers list. Now testing on web: remove a follower without blocking them.
To remove a follower, go to your profile and click “Followers”, then click the three dot icon and select “Remove this follower”. pic.twitter.com/2Ig7Mp8Tnx
— Twitter Support (@TwitterSupport) September 7, 2021
Visit this Tweet for more info. Available globally on Twitter for the web.
