Twitter is apparently preparing a major redesign of its mobile applications. The new design is set to debut at some point following the launch of iOS 7 on Wednesday. The tabs at the bottom of the screen will be gone, and users will instead swipe between four different content streams, according to All Things D:
There will be a main, reverse-chronological stream like users are currently familiar with, as well as a stream for interactions between other users and conversations they’re having. Notably new, there will also be a stream dedicated entirely to photos shared on Twitter (an idea that Facebook included with its segmented News Feed redesign months ago).
The new Twitter app will place a larger emphasis on photos and videos, moving towards a more visual experience. Twitter is also reportedly working on a stream that will focus exclusively on TV-related content. Many already use Twitter to talk about their favorite program in real time, and some programs even have hashtags people can use in the corner of the screen to encourage this behavior. But Twitter also hopes to encourage new people to use Twitter after they see the hashtages and “@” all over TV ads.
The focus on more visual content is an effort by Twitter to keep users coming back. While Facebook, Pintrest, and Instagram have all kept users around by focusing on photos and videos, the text-heavy Twitter, generally sees a quarter of their reported one billion accounts return to the service regularly.
Does this update appeal to you, or did you leave the official app behind in favor of third-party apps, never once looking back?
Source: All Things D
