In another flip-flop move, Twitter says that it will now remember the feed — the algorithmic “For You” or chronological “Following” — its users have chosen on the web. This change will give relief to many who had complained that the social network showed them the algorithmic timeline by default each time they visited the service.
The move is the latest in a series of changes Twitter has made to its implementation of the dual timeline in recent days. It first made the algorithmic timeline default on iOS earlier this month. On the web, things are a little more confusing.
- January 13: Twitter rolled out the dual-timeline update to the web but at that time the social network used to remember your choice.
- January 20: The company made the “For You” feed default on the web when users first opened Twitter in a tab or refreshed the page.
- January 24: Now, Twitter remembers your choices again. World peace.
Twitter also added that a similar update will be rolled out to the Twitter iOS and Android apps. So soon there will be no more algorithmic timeline as default on mobile apps either.
Were any of you (all of you) asking for your timeline to default to where you left it last?
Starting today on web, if you close Twitter on the “For you” or “Following” tabs, you will return to whichever timeline you had open last. iOS and Android coming soon! https://t.co/uKz9DpNRux
— Support (@Support) January 24, 2023
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Many power Twitter users who used third-party Twitter apps never had to deal with the algorithmic timeline. But now that Elon Musk & co. have killed third-party apps by making changes to the API rules, users have no option but to use the official Twitter app or website.
This week’s move goes into the growing file of reversed decisions under Musk. The file includes pulling back the newly launched Twitter Blue program in November and removing terms that prohibited users from posting links to other social media profiles in December.
How the recently shuttered third-party apps contributed to Twitter’s development
