What you need to know
- Twitter has revealed that it's currently testing an edit button with a small group of users.
- The highly-requested feature will be rolled out to Twitter Blue subscribers later this month.
- Despite the limited testing, everyone will be able to see if a tweet has been altered.
Twitter is finally rolling out an edit button after years of shunning a highly-requested feature that's long been available on other platforms, and it will come first to paying Twitter Blue subscribers.
In an unexpected announcement, Twitter has confirmed that the edit tweet feature is currently being tested internally by a small set of users. Later this month, the capability will arrive for premium users who enjoy the privilege of gaining early access to limited features.
The goal of the initial testing is to gauge how people might abuse the feature. Twitter hopes to accomplish the same thing with the feature's upcoming release for Blue subscribers before presumably making it available to everyone.
"Like any new feature, we’re intentionally testing Edit Tweet with a smaller group to help us incorporate feedback while identifying and resolving potential issues," Twitter said in a blog post.
However, the test will be initially limited to a single country, with plans for expansion in the future. Twitter did not specify which country will get it first. "We’ll also be paying close attention to how the feature impacts the way people read, write, and engage with Tweets," the service added.
While limited in nature, everyone will be able to see if a tweet has been modified. Editable tweets have time limits, though. Twitter notes that tweets can only be edited multiple times in the first 30 minutes after they're posted, so you'll need to act fast.
Twitter explains that the time limit and version history are intended to "protect the integrity of the conversation and create a publicly accessible record of what was said."
Edited tweets will be easy to spot as they bear a pencil icon and a timestamp for when they were last edited, similar to Facebook's style. Readers can view a tweet's edit history, including its past versions, by tapping the label.
News of the feature first surfaced last spring, although it was quickly dismissed as an April Fools' Day joke until Twitter confirmed it was real. It's encouraging to see that the social media platform is finally giving users what they've long been asking for: a way to fix typos without deleting the tweet and starting over. That is, if they don't mind paying $4.99 per month.
