The Shortcut

Share this post
Twitter will finally let you edit tweets, but at a price
www.theshortcut.com

Twitter will finally let you edit tweets, but at a price

A Twitter edit button is now being tested, but it won't be available to everyone

Adam Vjestica
Sep 2, 2022
2
Share this post
Twitter will finally let you edit tweets, but at a price
www.theshortcut.com
Twitter logo  on a phone
(Credit: Photo by Nikolas Kokovlis/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

➡️ The Shortcut Skinny: Twitter edit button

  • 🙏 Twitter has revealed it’s testing an edit button

  • 💙 The feature will be available to Twitter Blue subscribers later this month

  • ✏️ “Tweets will be able to be edited a few times in the 30 minutes following their publication,” said Twitter

  • 💰 Twitter Blue costs $4.99 per month and includes some extra features like being able to recall tweets before you send them

Twitter is testing an edit button, allowing users to retroactively change their tweets once they’ve been published. However, it’s only available to Twitter Blue members and costs $4.99 a month.

Twitter avatar for @Twitter
Twitter @Twitter
if you see an edited Tweet it's because we're testing the edit button this is happening and you'll be okay
12:40 PM ∙ Sep 1, 2022
332,239Likes45,092Retweets

In a Twitter blog post, the social media giant outlined how the long-requested feature will work.

“For this test, 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. Tapping the label will take viewers to the Tweet’s Edit History, which includes past versions of the Tweet.”

Twitter wants people to use the edit button as a tool to fix typos and add missing tags, but the reason it’s testing the feature and not rolling it out to the masses is to ensure that it isn’t misused. That’s one of the reasons behind the small window for editing and the clear tag indicating that a tweet has been edited and when.

“For context, the time limit and version history play an important role here. They help protect the integrity of the conversation and create a publicly accessible record of what was said.”

Twitter said it will be monitoring how editing tweets will impact the way people read, write and engage with tweets during the test.

Edited Tweet
This is what an edited tweet looks like. (Credit: Twitter)

Twitter said it hopes that the option to edit a tweet once it’s published will make the platform feel “more approachable and less stressful.”

The demand for an edit button on Twitter has been the “most requested Twitter feature for many years,” according to Jay Sullivan’s VP of consumer product. However, during a Q&A video with Wired, former CEO Jack Dorsey said in 2020 that Twitter would “probably never” let you edit tweets.

The Shortcut is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Share this post
Twitter will finally let you edit tweets, but at a price
www.theshortcut.com
Comments
TopNewCommunity

No posts

Ready for more?

© 2023 Matt Swider
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start WritingGet the app
Substack is the home for great writing