Twitter PWA gains conversation controls, branded likes, and more

Twitter on Surface
Twitter on Surface (Image credit: Windows Central)

What you need to know

  • Twitter's PWA has a new update for the month of August.
  • The update brings conversation controls, branded likes, and several other new features.
  • The update is available on all versions of the Twitter PWA.

Twitter's progressive web app (PWA) has a new update which brings conversation controls, branded likes, and several other new features. The update also includes updates to previous features and several bug fixes.

Here's everything that's new, as found on Twitter's release notes:

Branded Likes: Delightful, custom, animations for the Twitter like button on Tweets containing specific hashtags. Try #BlackJoy and #AlwaysProud now!Composer Card Previews: When sending Tweets or DMs that link to external sources, you'll now see a preview of the generated card right in the composer!Conversation Controls: We tested, you Tweeted, and we're rolling out the ability to have conversations with exactly who you want to everyone. When you compose a Tweet, you'll have the option to enable replies for everyone, people you follow, or just people you @ mention. Learn more here!DM Quick Access: We've launched the docked DM drawer for Twitter on widescreen window widths. Quickly access your DM conversations without having to navigate to the DM screen.Logged Out Design: We've updated the design of the logged out experience by bringing side navigation with quick access to Explore and Settings.Not Interested Topics: Tired of us recommending you a Topic you aren't interested in? You can now dismiss the Topic and we won't recommend it again.Topic Pages: You can now see a timeline of Tweets about a Topic. Try it out by clicking on a Topic name.

The conversation controls feature is one of the most useful additions. The feature allows you to control who can reply to a tweet, limiting responses to people you follow, people you mention, or allowing anyone to reply.

The ability to dismiss a topic to not see it again is also quite handy. Some people want to avoid some topics on Twitter and social media, so having the option to prevent a recommendation is a nice touch.

Twitter also shares a list of everything that's updated:

DMs: Adjusted the size of Twemoji rendered without text within DM conversations.Performance: Reduced the size of the code needed to run the site for most users. This should help the site load more quickly, especially on slower connections.Performance: Improved navigation speed to external content on certain browsers.Retweets with comments: We've made a number of updates to the Retweets with comments experience. Updated the Tweet detail screen to display either "Retweets" or "Retweets with comments" as labeling for Retweets. Added a pivot to non-compliant Tweets to allow navigation to the Retweets with comments timeline. We are currently experimenting with splitting Retweets with comments out to their own Tweet stat on Tweet detail, and updating verbiage to include "Quote".Topic Descriptions: We've added descriptions to some Topics. These should help provide more context on what the Topic is about.

Twitter's PWA updates are available now to anyone using the PWA on any platform. To read about the update's fixes you can check out Twitter's release notes.

Sean Endicott
News Writer and apps editor

Sean Endicott is a tech journalist at Windows Central, specializing in Windows, Microsoft software, AI, and PCs. He's covered major launches, from Windows 10 and 11 to the rise of AI tools like ChatGPT. Sean's journey began with the Lumia 740, leading to strong ties with app developers. Outside writing, he coaches American football, utilizing Microsoft services to manage his team. He studied broadcast journalism at Nottingham Trent University and is active on X @SeanEndicott_ and Threads @sean_endicott_.