Affiliate links on Android Authority may earn us a commission. Learn more.
Twitter will bring back the chronological timeline (Update: Here now for Android!)
Update #2, January 15, 2019 (4:33 PM ET): The moment Android Twitter users have been longing for is here: you can now force your Twitter feed to display tweets in chronological order within the Android app.
Twitter made the official announcement on (where else?) Twitter:
Android, we got you. Starting today, tap ✨ to switch between latest and top Tweets. pic.twitter.com/7rXo3BNEJ6— Twitter (@Twitter) January 15, 2019
If you have the latest version of the Twitter app, you’ll see a star icon at the top right of your feed. Tap that, and you can switch to a chronological view. If you are away from the app a while, it will automatically switch you out of chronological view and you’ll instead see the tweets Twitter thinks you’ll care about the most. You’ll have to manually switch views again if that happens.
If you don’t like the chronological view, just tap that star icon again and you can switch yourself back. Unfortunately, as of now, there is no way to tell the app to permanently switch you to a chronological feed.
Update #1, December 18, 2018 (4:58PM EST): Earlier today, Twitter announced that iOS users can switch between the latest and top tweets starting today. Twitter also said that the feature is “coming soon” to Android.
New on iOS! Starting today, you can tap ✨ to switch between the latest and top Tweets in your timeline. Coming soon to Android. pic.twitter.com/6B9OQG391S— Twitter (@Twitter) December 18, 2018
The updated Twitter app now features a star icon on the top right. Pressing it brings up the option to switch between the latest and top tweets. There is also an option to view your content preferences.
Original article, September 18, 2018 (3:29AM EST): Twitter has reintroduced the option to view its feed in reverse chronological order. In a series of Tweets, the company explained that it is also working on an “easily accessible” way for users to switch between chronological and relevant tweets-based timelines.
Twitter first got rid of the purely chronological timeline in 2016. Instead, it began to highlight Tweets it thought you might find interesting (both tweets from those you follow and tweets those users have liked and shared) since the last time you checked the timeline, interspersed with the most recent tweets.
In the statement, Twitter said that while people who use its algorithm-based feed find the service to be “more relevant and useful,” it also acknowledged that some people prefer to see just see the latest tweets.
4/ So, we’re working on providing you with an easily accessible way to switch between a timeline of Tweets that are most relevant for you and a timeline of the latest Tweets. You’ll see us test this in the coming weeks.— Twitter Support (@TwitterSupport) September 17, 2018
Twitter says it will introduce the easy way to revert to a reverse chronological order in the coming weeks. However, from today, users can also view Tweets in reverse chronological order by unchecking the box next to the “Show the best Tweets first” setting. Before the change, users who unchecked this box would still see some recommended Tweets.
By introducing the option to switch between the two types of Twitter feed, users will be able to see relevant tweets made since they were last on the site, while also being able to get involved in timely conversations and breaking news. It’s a solution that would offer the best of both worlds, without excluding fans of either setup — as long as Twitter gets the implementation right, that is.
What do you think of the news? Let me know in the comments.
Next up: 10 best Twitter apps for Android