Twitter will stop forcing its algorithmic timeline on iOS and Android

February 7, 2023 ndowd

The circle of Twitter decisions is complete. The social network will finally stop forcing its algorithmic “For You” timeline to users on iOS and Android. Twitter said that the apps will remember your choice of the timeline when you close them.

Essentially, if you were looking at the chronological “Following” timeline while exiting the app, you won’t be forced back to the algorithmic timeline when you open Twitter again. The company rolled out this update to the web last month, and now it’s pushing it to the latest versions of Twitter mobile apps.

This is live for Android and iOS!

Update to the latest version of the app so that “For you” and “Following” will default to whichever tab you had open last. https://t.co/GB1TxWJoOm

— Twitter Support (@TwitterSupport) February 6, 2023

The Elon Musk-led company started pushing the algorithmic “For You” timeline last month by making it the default feed on iOS. Later, it also brought the dual-timeline view to Android and the web.

Many users were not happy with the fact that there was no way to make the chronological timeline the default as Twitter pushed them back to the “For You” timeline on refresh or when app reopens. The latest update solves that issue, but the dual-timeline view is here to stay.

Prior to this, Twitter had a star button that let you easily switch between a chronological or algorithmic timeline.

The “For you” and “Following” tabs replace “Home” and “Latest” and will be pinned to the top of your timeline so you can easily switch between them. Swipe to switch timelines instead of tapping the ✨ icon.

— Twitter Support (@TwitterSupport) January 11, 2023

And at the moment, you have to use Twitter’s official app to access the social network as the company killed third-party apps by making changes to its API usage terms.

source