Twitter disables threaded replies, closes prototype app "twttr"

Twitter has decided to remove threaded replies, a feature it began experimenting with earlier this year. Twitter said the reason behind disabling this is because threaded responses make it harder to read and join conversations.

Twitter introduced chain replies earlier this year in May. Threaded replies are replies within a reply in a tweet. Confusing as it may sound, this feature allows users to reply to tweet replies. Twitter indicated threaded responses with "Show Responses" just below that response. In fact, this can be not very clear for people who want to follow a conversation on Twitter.

"We asked, and you let us know this reply layout wasn't it, as it was harder to read and join conversations. So we've turned off this format to work on other ways to improve conversations on Twitter," Twitter Support said.

Twitter also announced that it is shutting down its prototype twttr app, where it tests new features. Twttr was launched in 2019 and allowed users to join the app to experience new features and experiments. Twttr users have been asked to switch to the main Twitter app as the prototype app will no longer be accessible.

"We appreciate the feedback you gave us through this run of our prototype app twttr. For now, we're turning it off so we can work on new tests to improve the conversation experience on Twitter," Twitter Support said.

Twitter regularly tested new features in the twttr app, while also testing features with select users in the main app. It first launched threaded responses in the twttr app in March 2019 and introduced the new design for iOS and web users in May of this year.