Twitter is terminating threaded replies and its experimental twttr app ahead of the new year.
“We’re constantly testing and working on ways for Twitter to better serve the public conversation,” the company tweeted on Thursday. “Since last year, we’ve tested new ways to make conversations easier to follow and join in on our prototype app twttr, and more recently on Twitter, too.”
Some trials, however, end in error. And threaded replies—rolled out early this year in an attempt to simplify online discussions—turned out to be a dud. According to Twitter, the new look actually made it more difficult to read and join a dialog. “So we’ve turned off this format to work on other ways to improve conversations,” Twitter said in a follow-up tweet.
The social network is also sending prototype twttr into early retirement. Initially revealed as an April Fools’ joke in 2013, the application became reality last year, serving as a proving ground for new designs (like threaded replies) before they rolled out to the main platform.
“We appreciate the feedback you gave us through this run of our prototype app twttr,” Twitter Support tweeted. “For now we’re turning it off so we can work on new tests to improve the conversation experience on Twitter.”
“For now, people using twttr will lose access to the app as we work on new conversations features,” the Twitter Comms account added. “Updates to come as we explore what’s next for twttr. Grateful to everyone who helped us test this.”
It’s a wonder Twitter has any time to test new features between policing COVID-19 conspiracy theories and 2020 election misinformation. Still, the firm managed to implement new anti-bullying tools, voice tweets and audio DMs, and expiring tweets over the last 12 months.
“When building new features, especially those that are essential to the Twitter experience, we try new things often. Some will ship and others won’t,” Twitter Comms said this week. “We want people to be able to easily participate and connect with their communities in conversations while feeling comfortable and in control. More to come soon.”
