Photos fly to Twitter direct messages, swiping timelines slide in too

sincity · December 10, 2013

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Mere days before an event where Instagram may unveil its own messaging service, Twitter is out with an update to its own.

As of today, its mobile apps will let users send photos in direct messages. It's a feature that some would say should have been available long ago, but better late than never, right?

Photos in direct messages will be viewable through Twitter's website, too.

The newly public social network has also added a tab navigation bar to make DMs more prominent. With the update, wherever you are in Twitter, direct messages are never more than a tap away.

Swipe, swipe, swipe

Today's Twitter news doesn't stop there; the company outed new swipe controls so users can jump between their Home, Discover and Activity timelines with a brush of the finger.

It's a small gesture, as it t'were, but one that should lead to easier navigation and discovery - and more time spent - inside Twitter.

What's more, the iOS version of the Twitter app now has new in-app notifications to inform users when they've been DMed, favorited, retweeted or someone has replied to one of their tweest.

On Twitter for Android, tapping a star on other users' profiles will turn on mobile notifications for that person.