Twitter appears to be rolling out a big change to how you get get out of viewing images on the service once you’re done.
Previously, to dismiss an image you’d make a single tap on the image. For many users today, it’s changed to be a simple swipe up or down to return to their Twitter feed.
This feature rolled out for me today and I spent a good few minutes confused about why tapping an image wasn’t getting rid of it. After a few confusing moments it becomes natural to swipe away, though.
The 💜 of EU tech
The latest rumblings from the EU tech scene, a story from our wise ol' founder Boris, and some questionable AI art. It's free, every week, in your inbox. Sign up now!
Third-party app Tweetbot has had a similar swipe-to-dismiss feature for a number of years, which might be where Twitter got the inspiration. Most people like the change:
https://twitter.com/catemple17/status/565648665264791552
Oh wow I've been waiting ages for Twitter to do that swipe up thing to get rid of pictures.
— Sarah ? (@sarahrimmer1) February 11, 2015
Not everyone is a big fan of the change, however:
I really don't like that you have to swipe Twitter pictures now…
— Abby Schaitkin (@abbyschaitkin) February 12, 2015
https://twitter.com/lukesnirvana_/status/565659130225233922
the new Twitter update has got me tapping pictures 90000 times before i figure out im supposed to swipe
— annie beth (@Annie_cubbon) February 12, 2015
It’s not clear right now if the feature is a test or not — some have reported having the feature over a year ago — but we’ve seen a lot of people commenting about the navigation change..
Another small change today is user profiles on mobile now say “media” instead of “photos.”
We’ve contacted Twitter for clarification on the swipe to dismiss feature and will update when we hear back.
Get the TNW newsletter
Get the most important tech news in your inbox each week.