Twitter has added a Whatsapp share button for its users in India, the social media platform Unveiled via Tweet from its country account.
The feature, which was announced as a test, replaces the Share button and provides the exact same functionality. In other words, when the icon is clicked, users will be presented with options to copy the link to the tweet, share the tweet via other social media platforms, send it as a direct message, or bookmark it.
While it appears to be a one-click sharing for WhatsApp groups and contacts, it’s really just an aesthetic change.
Sharing actually on WhatsApp requires clicking on the new button and then selecting WhatsApp on the “Share Tweet via…” option.
A new icon seeks to make it easier to share more widely across Popular Messenger
with more than 2 billion users Worldwide, WhatsApp is very popular in India, where it has more than 581 million users. And the demand is increasing. Projections put the number of users north of 795 million by 2025.
By integrating sharing functionality with Meta’s proprietary free messaging platform, Twitter seeks to make it easier for tweets to spread beyond its platform.
“We’re replacing the share icon on tweets with the WhatsApp icon for the majority of people using Twitter on Android in the country, so sharing their favorite or noteworthy Tweets is easy even outside of Twitter, making the experience more open, accessible, and inclusive for them,” Twitter said in a statement. Statement to TechCrunch.
Facilitating cross-platform sharing also provides a way for Twitter to track engagement from people who are not logged into the app.
Twitter reverted the changes from before
Twitter generally limits its testing to a select group of users, often those who subscribe to Twitter Blue. This test will be available for most of the Android users in India.
While the current “Share on WhatsApp” button doesn’t work as many users expected, Twitter has clearly stated that it is in the testing phase.
The final version could be significantly different or even scrapped altogether. This wouldn’t be the first time Twitter has rolled back changes to its user interface.
In March this year, Issued and then canceled the “Top Tweets” feature that allowed users to switch between chronological tweet feeds and top tweets. Released by users, this feature only lasted four days before it removed the social media platform and reinstated the default feed.
Featured image: Sattalat Phukkum / Shutterstock
