Twitter app becoming slicker with new features

Twitter has been making its mobile app safer and more secure for users, and more useable. It has been adding new features which allow users greater control over their Twitter account. Here are some of these new features which can improve the experience on smartphones considerably.

Mute offensive posts and people

This new feature allows users to mute any words, phrases, usernames or hashtags from their timeline for a given time period (between 24 hours to 30 days) or forever. Users can also choose to not receive notifications for posts by people they are not following. The idea behind the feature is to keep your conversation clean and harassment free by muting posts and notifications that may be offensive. The feature is available on both Android and iOS apps of Twitter. To access this feature, go to Twitter Settings->Notifications->Muted Words, then tap on the plus icon and enter the words, usernames and hashtags you don’t want to see.

Data friendly version of Twitter

Twitter Lite is a more data-friendly version of Twitter for mobile users. However, unlike Facebook Lite, it is not a separate app but works through a mobile browser and can be accessed at mobile.twitter.com. Twitter Lite offers a scaled down user interface with limited elements in comparison to the native Twitter app. So you can watch and upload photos and videos in your timeline, send direct messages, but can’t access features such as photo editing and live streaming. Its biggest advantage is that its pages load faster. It has a data saver mode which can reduce data usage by almost 70%. You can use it almost like an app by adding a shortcut to it on your phone’s home screen and enabling the option to receive notifications.

Adds another layer of security

While the option to protect your Twitter account with built-in two-factor authentication is already there, you can now use third-party two-factor authentication apps such as Google Authenticator to secure your account. This adds another layer of security and is meant for users who are already using these apps to secure their Google or other accounts. To access it, go to Twitter Settings->Account->Security-> enable Verify login requests and type verification code sent in your phone number through SMS. Now tap on the button which says ‘Set up a code generator app’ and generate a barcode. Scan the barcode with the Google Authenticator app and a time-based, six-digit login passcode will be generated for your Twitter account.

More room for text

Twitter has made improvements in the reply section of the Twitter app. So when you are replying to a post, you will no longer see the @username within the reply box. Now the @username will appear above the reply box. This means you have more characters available within the 140-character limit.