Twitter's 'Highlights' feature rolls out globally: Recaps sent throughout the day help users catch up on the best of their feed

  • Highlights originally launched in April for English Android users only
  • The tool is now being rolled out globally and in 35 languages
  • Twitter 'Highlights' are delivered using a push notification
  • But feature is still only available on Android with no news of an iOS release

Following its launch for English speakers in April, Twitter has started rolling out its Highlights feature worldwide, in more than 35 languages.

The feature helps users sift through the large number of tweets on their feed each day by offering recaps of what they might have missed, throughout the day.

The service provides a summary 'of the best tweets for you' delivered using a push notification.

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Highlights was originally released in April but was only available for English-language readers. The latest update makes it available globally in more than 35 languages. The service provides a summary 'of the best tweets for you' delivered using a push notification

Highlights was originally released in April but was only available for English-language readers. The latest update makes it available globally in more than 35 languages. The service provides a summary 'of the best tweets for you' delivered using a push notification

However, the service is still only available for Android users and Twitter has said it 'will consider bringing Highlights to other platforms in the future.'

HOW TO ENABLE TWITTER'S NEW 'HIGHLIGHTS' ON ANDROID 

Highlights was released in April but was only available for English-language readers.

The latest update makes it available globally in more than 35 languages. 

Users are automatically opted into this feature, but if the tool doesn't appear to be enabled, or if they disable it and later want to enable it, they can change their preferences in Settings. 

To enable the feature on an account, launch the official Twitter app and bring up the three-dot icon in the top-right corner of your screen.

Select Settings from the drop-down, and then press on the account name.

Tap on Mobile Notifications. 

Scroll down to the new option titled Highlights and press on it.

The check box should display a check mark, marking the feature as active.

However, the service is still only available for Android users and Twitter has said it 'will consider bringing Highlights to other platforms in the future.'

In a blog post, the social network said: 'While your home timeline is a great place to browse and engage with Tweets, we know it can be challenging to find the time to get through everything you’d like to see. 

'No matter how much time you spend with Twitter, we want you to get the most out of using it. 

'Highlights, lets you catch up quickly on interesting stuff that is most relevant to you. 

'To create your Highlights, we look at things like the accounts and conversations that are popular among people you follow, Tweets from people you’re closely tied to, topics and events that are trending in your area or within your network, and people that are popular or trending among people you follow.'  

A push notification is then used to direct users to a link where they can browse these collated tweets. 

The number of recaps will vary depending on how much people interact with the app and how much is happening on their feed.  

Users are automatically opted into this feature, but if the tool doesn't appear to be enabled or if they disable it and later want to enable it, they can change their preferences in Settings.

To enable the feature on an account, launch the official Twitter app on Android and click the three-dot icon - known as the overflow - in the top-right corner of your screen.

Select Settings from the drop-down, and then press on the account name. 

Tap on Mobile Notifications then scroll down to the new option titled Highlights and press on it. 

It is the latest tool to attract more users to the site, and help them find content when they are on it.  

To create Highlights, Twitter said it look at things such as the accounts and conversations that are popular among people the user follows, tweets from people they're closely tied to, topics and events that are trending in their area or within their network, and people that are popular or trending among people they follow

To create Highlights, Twitter said it look at things such as the accounts and conversations that are popular among people the user follows, tweets from people they're closely tied to, topics and events that are trending in their area or within their network, and people that are popular or trending among people they follow

If notifications are ignored, the system will learn how often the user wants to receive the updates and tailor them appropriately.

Last month, Twitter removed the 140-character limit on its direct messages after allowing people to send messages to people they're not following for the first time.

The feature is available globally and Twitter said the aim is to allow users to 'express themselves' more freely.

The change was announced on Twitter's developer community forum in June but the site stressed that the update wouldn't impact public tweets.

Twitter currently has more than 300 million global users while rival social network Facebook has more than 1.4 billion.

TWITTER'S LATEST SAFETY UPDATES

Twitter's chief executive Dick Costolo recently said his site 'sucks at dealing with abuse and trolls'.

In a memo, Mr Costolo said he is embarrassed by the way the company handles abuse and that it must take stronger action.

In December, a blog post titled 'Building a safer Twitter' revealed Twitter is working on ways to make it easier to block and report abuse. 

For months Twitter has been rolling out features designed to rid the site of the scourge of trolls

For months Twitter has been rolling out features designed to rid the site of the scourge of trolls

The site has since improved the reporting process to make it more mobile-friendly, auto-populated fields, and it now requires less initial information. 

It has also improved the ways in which abuse can be reported to law enforcement.  

Last month, the site took aim at the rising levels of revenge porn and stolen nude photos posted to the social network.

Its rules now say that users must not 'post intimate photos or videos that were taken or distributed without the subject's consent'.

Twitter said an affected user can report a post if they believe it contains photos or videos posted without their consent. 

This includes reporting indirect threats. 

Offending accounts will then be temporarily locked until a phone number or similar is added, and an algorithm will automatically remove abuse before the user even sees it.

Twitter already asks users who violate its abuse guidelines to delete content, and can suspend accounts permanently if they don't.

But under the new changes, Twitter's new enforcement option lets the support team temporarily lock abusive accounts for a set period of time, up to 12 hours.

Elsewhere, Twitter has begun testing a product feature to help identify suspected abusive tweets and limit their reach by automatically removing them from a person's notifications.

It has also updated its violent threats policy to include indirect tweets, or the 'threats of violence against others or promoting violence against others.'

 

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