Twitter is clearly trying to transform itself into a news app, given that it was moved from the social networking category to the news category in the App Store and Google Play Store.
Users of the service will soon receive a new feature to learn the latest news.
Currently, Twitter users have to set up their accounts to receive notifications from their favorite news sites and be notified when new articles are added. If Twitter truly wants to become the go-to app for news, it needs to equip the app with features that will increase user engagement and provide notifications for a variety of news stories, including entertainment.
This is precisely what Twitter is focusing on. A recent report suggests that Twitter has begun testing breaking news notifications on its official app. Users who have reported receiving notifications are currently using iOS devices, and it remains to be seen when Android users will receive the same notifications.
Twitter sends out notifications for breaking news based on users' interests. A Twitter spokesperson said the notifications are part of an ongoing process.
It appears that Twitter is sending notifications to different groups of people based on their interest ratings. Push notifications have been sent for the US election, the Olympics, ABC TV shows, and the recent Berlin Christmas market attack.
When users tap on the notification, the app opens Twitter Moments, which feature posts from across Twitter, focusing on a single topic. Breaking news notifications are currently in beta, which means there's no guarantee they'll happen. Users who don't agree to these notifications can go into the settings menu and turn them off.
Twitter recently introduced live video for Android and iOS devices, while continuing to integrate Periscope features into its main app.
