Twitter has launched a new feature for Android that gives users more control over their timeline, allowing them to quickly move between an algorithmically generated timeline and one that shows the most recent tweets first .
The same feature appeared for the iPhone in December 2018.
It's super simple to use, although you'll first need to make sure you have the latest version of Twitter installed on your phone. Then, a new "sparkle" button will appear in the top right corner of the screen.
Tapping on this brings up a card at the bottom of the screen, allowing you to switch from the default “Home” setting which displays algorithmically generated “top tweets” to the “most recent tweets” posted by people you follow.
If you leave Twitter on the most recent tweets setting and leave the app for a while, it will automatically take you to the “Home” setting for top tweets when you return. In this case, a short message will appear on the screen letting you know that you have returned to the “Home” setting.
Twitter announced the new feature for Android in a tweet on Tuesday.
Twitter made an attempt to get rid of its recent tweets timeline — also known as the reverse-chronological timeline, in 2016 — replacing it with one that was marketed as a “in case you missed it” feature of posts and top tweets. But the new timeline confused some users, prompting many to demand the return of the most recent tweets.
Last year, the company responded by trying to offer both types of timelines. It finally introduced the “sparkle” button, hoping it would satisfy the majority of its users.
“We’ve learned that when the best tweets are shown first, people find Twitter more relevant and useful. However, we’ve received feedback from people who prefer to see the most recent tweets first,” the San Francisco-based company said last summer while testing the feature.
The Twitter community will certainly be happy that the company seems to be taking feedback into account when it comes to the usability of the app.
