Undo tweet feature spotted, could be launched soon
What's the story
Application decoder Jane Manchun Wong on Twitter discovered an animation on the platform suggesting that Twitter is actively exploring the concept of an undo tweet feature. The animation shows a button which allows a user to undo a post after it is uploaded. The feature has been requested on the microblogging site for long and could save Twitterati some potentially embarrassing moments.
Second guessing
Button gives users few seconds to take tweet back
Wong shared the animation she discovered. After posting a tweet, a floating window appears, which says "Your Tweet was sent". The window features a wide button labeled "Undo" which doubles up as a receding progress bar. This suggests that if the feature rolls out, people will have only a few seconds to change their mind and undo a tweet.
Twitter Post
Wong shares the GIF of the animations she spotted
Twitter is working on “Undo Send” timer for tweets pic.twitter.com/nS0kuijPK0
— Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) March 5, 2021
Just like Gmail
Twitter could make undo tweet an optional feature
The feature is remarkably similar to Gmail's undo send option which holds off sending an email immediately after the sender clicks the Send button. With Twitter recently monetizing the platform through features such as Super Follow, undo tweet could presumably be a paid or an optional feature. Having a toggle could be useful for people who post time-sensitive tweets.
Credible track record
Twitter mulling subscription model for many advanced features
Wong has an appreciable track record for noticing new features and predicting their release. Last year, she was the first to spot Twitter's work on the new verification system. Furthering the possibility of the undo tweet feature being paid, Bloomberg reported Twitter is reducing its dependency on advertising revenue by introducing a subscription model for advanced features including this one.
Edit Tweet?
Twitterati's hopes for edit tweet button renewed
While the release timeline for the feature Wong spotted remains unknown, it has sparked fresh hope among regular Twitter users that the platform may eventually release an option to edit tweets. As the undo tweet button will appear for a few seconds after posting a tweet, it is unknown if tapping it will let you edit the post, or will delete your tweet altogether.