Twitter released a significant update for their Mac and iOS apps today, adding a number of features and improvements, including the ability to sync the “read” status of direct messages. Other updates include improved search, a new reply composer, the ability to report unwanted “spam” tweets, and more.
From the Twitter Blog:
People use Twitter to connect to the things and people they care about. Today, we’re making that even easier with a coordinated update for seven different apps: Android, iPhone, iPad, Mac, twitter.com, mobile.twitter.com and TweetDeck.
For all of these platforms, you’ll now be able to sync direct messages (DM) across all your devices and Twitter accounts. When you read a DM on your Android phone or iPhone, it will be marked as read in your browser, your desktop apps, or your tablet. And vice versa. Please note that syncing will roll out gradually: you’ll need to get the latest version of each app to ensure it works on all of your devices.
For Android, iPhone, iPad and mobile.twitter.com, we’re making more improvements to search results. Now when you search for people on Twitter, you may see an expanded user result that shows a full bio. This account preview makes it easier and faster to find and learn more about the accounts you’re looking for. And if you swipe the preview to the left, you’ll find similar accounts –– for example, if you search for the MLB, you’ll see suggestions for ESPN, Ken Rosenthal, and other MLB-related accounts. Additionally, a new in-app indicator in search results will show you when there are new Tweets for your query, making it easier for you to stay up to date on the latest Twitter conversation.
On Twitter for iPhone, it’s now easier to reply to Tweets with a built-in Tweet composer that appears when you tap to see details. It’s also easier to find accounts to follow with a new people button on the navigation bar, making the iPhone experience consistent with our Android app. Tapping this icon reveals a list of accounts that may be interesting or relevant to you.
On Twitter for Mac, the Connect tab now includes interactions, so you can see favorites and retweets, along with @mentions –– similar to what you see already on the web and other mobile apps. You can also update your preferences to view @mentionsonly and manage your notification settings for all interactions. Finally, the app now supports six additional languages: Danish, Filipino, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish and Thai.
It’s a pretty great set of updates for all of the apps across various platforms, and should come as a welcome change to fans of the apps. From the App Store change log:
Twitter for iOS 5.8
New to Twitter for iPhone and iPad: when you read a Direct message it will be marked as read in all of your official Twitter apps, including twitter.com, mobile.twitter.com, Twitter for Mac, Twitter for Android and TweetDeck. When you read a message on another official Twitter app, it will be marked as read on iPhone and iPad.
We’ve also made more improvements in this version:
• It’s easier to join conversations with a new reply composer in the Tweet details view on iPhone
• Find new accounts to follow by tapping the new people button in the navigation bar
• Richer search results indicate when there are new Tweets for your query and show account results with bios and social context
• Report unwanted Tweets via the “More” button
And the change log for the Mac App Store version:
What’s New in Version 2.3.0
Now you can see when your Tweets have been retweeted or favorited, when you have a new follower, and when you’ve been added to a list in your @Connect timeline. You can also update your notification settings to see interactions in real time.
Other improvements and bug fixes in this version include:
* When you read a Direct message on Twitter for Mac it will be marked as read in all of your official Twitter apps, including Twitter for iPhone, Twitter for iPad, Twitter for Android, twitter.com, mobile.twitter.com and TweetDeck. When you read a message on another official Twitter app, it will be marked as read on your Mac.
* Support for 6 new languages: Danish, Swedish, Finnish, Norwegian, Thai and Filipino
* Real names and @usernames appear together in all parts of the app
* Fixed character counting bug in the Tweet composer
* Fix for unfavoriting Tweets
* Fix for Growl notifications
* Other nifty fixes and improvements
The updates are now available for immediate download, and as always, remain free updates to the app. The latest version can be downloaded below:
- Twitter for iOS (free, App Store link).
- Twitter for Mac (free, Mac App Store link).
