Twitter Removes @ Usernames From Character Count On Reply Tweets

Twitter has now removed @ usernames from the 140 character limit when users tweet a reply on the platform.

The update was announced in a blog post by Twitter’s Sasank Reddy, who explains that the omission of usernames from the character limit is designed to make conversations simpler, and put the focus back on the tweet itself.

Now, Twitter replies will appear like this: the Twitter user’s profile picture remains on the left hand side of the tweet, with their name at the top.

Underneath the person’s name, users will now see a small box that reads “replying to” followed by one username and the number of how many users the reply is for.

Beneath that will be the tweet itself.

Users can control who to send their tweet to by clicking the “reply to” button, which will let them choose who out of the conversation’s participants they want to aim the tweet at.

This new layout is said to put more emphasis onto the tweet itself, rather than who it is aimed at.

Reddy said: “It’s now easier to follow a conversation, so you can focus on what a discussion is about, and who is having it. Also, with all 140 characters for your replies, you have more room to participate in group conversations.

“The updates we’re making today are based on feedback from all of you as well as research and experimentation. In our tests of this new experience, we found that people engage more with conversations on Twitter.

“Our work isn’t finished – we’ll continue to think about how we can improve conversations and make Twitter easier to use.”

Last week Twitter also announced that it is removing the egg default profile picture on the platform, in favour of a silhouette-style image.

The company said that the removal of the egg is part of its efforts to reduce trolling and spam behaviour.

Twitter said: “We’ve noticed patterns of behaviour with accounts that are created only to harass others – often they don’t take the time to personalise their accounts.

“This has created an association between the default egg profile photo and negative behaviour, which isn’t fair to people who are still new to Twitter and haven’t yet personalised their profile photo.

“The new default image feels more like an empty state or placeholder, and we hope it encourages people to upload images that express themselves.”

To find out more about Twitter’s new 140 character limit please click here.