Twitter is testing the Edit feature with Twitter Blue followers. Here is all you need to know.
Since Twitter has existed, you have probably read tweets that would have benefited from a second chance. Twitter users have almost always been asking for the company to implement editing functionality, but the platform rarely makes big changes to its service – except for the move to a 280-character limit and the selection of users who can reply to your tweets -. Either way, despite continued high demand, Twitter has never backed down, until today. After 15 years of good and loyal service, the Edit button is finally a reality.
Twitter released the information in a simple tweet, on September 1, 2022, as if it were nothing. “Oh, that? Ah, it’s just an ordinary day in good old Twitter HQ. If Twitter were to ever discover something very important, like life on Mars or a cure for cancer, the information would certainly be announced in the same way.
Either way, the Edit button is on its way. Soon, Twitter users everywhere will be able to send a tweet, see if they’ve made a mistake, and correct it without having to delete the original tweet.
The edit button is exclusive to Twitter Blue followers (for now)
Twitter is still testing the feature. In other words, it is not quite ready to be deployed to the general public. To test this, Twitter chose two targets: Twitter employees themselves and Twitter Blue subscribers.
Since the beginning of September, those who pay the required $4.99 to enjoy extended features can use the Edit button. Others will have to wait a while longer before they can do so.
How Tweet Editing Works
When you get access to this Edit button, whether through the Twitter Blue subscription or because the feature is rolling out to the general public, here’s what you can expect.
When you send a tweet, you have 30 minutes to edit it, as many times as you want. You can use the Edit option to edit your tweet and post it afterwards. Once this 30 minute period has elapsed, it’s over. Your tweet can no longer be edited at all. Your only recourse then is the same, and the only, that we have always had, namely deletion.
Either way, keep in mind that every edit is saved in a history visible to anyone who has access to your tweets. You won’t hide your typos by editing a tweet.
Each version of your tweet will also persist as long as your tweet exists, visible via a small dedicated label. If you’ve tweeted something controversial, the Edit button won’t save you. That said, to correct a simple typing error or further explain its original idea, it is a very welcome addition.