Upcoming Twitter features: Voice and video calls, encrypted messaging
What's the story
Twitter is set to get some new features soon, including voice and video calls and encrypted direct messages (DMs).
"Coming soon will be voice and video chat from your handle to anyone on this platform, so you can talk to people anywhere in the world without giving them your phone number," said Twitter CEO Elon Musk via a tweet.
Context
Why does this story matter?
The calling and messaging features coming to Twitter will bring it on par with Meta's apps like Facebook and Instagram, which offer similar facilities.
The said features will take Twitter closer to becoming a super-app which is Musk's goal for the platform.
Last year, Musk revealed his plans for the "Twitter 2.0 The Everything App," which included encrypted direct messages, payments, and long-form tweets.
Calls
DMs on Twitter will be encrypted
The DMs feature on Twitter will be encrypted, which means only the sender and receiver will be able to access the messages. WhatsApp also follows a similar end-to-end encryption policy for calls and messages which are made using the app.
Emphasizing the encrypted message feature, Musk said, "I could not see your DMs even if there was a gun to my head."
Release
A version of encrypted messaging will be available from today
Some form of encrypted messaging should be available on Twitter from today, said Musk. However, what we do not know yet is whether calls made via Twitter will be encrypted as well.
The latest version of the platform will also allow you to respond to any message in a thread, not just the most recent one, and use any emoji to react to messages.
Information
Twitter will remove accounts that have been inactive
Earlier this week, Twitter said it'll start removing and archiving accounts that have been inactive for years. Twitter mandates that users must log in to their accounts at least once every 30 days to avoid their accounts from being permanently removed due to prolonged inactivity.
Steps
Twitter recently introduced anti-shadowbanning labels
In late April, Twitter introduced anti-shadowbanning labels to increase transparency on the platform. The labels show if the company decreased the visibility of certain tweets.
"These labels bring a new level of transparency to enforcement actions," said Twitter in a blog, adding, "This change is designed to result in enforcement actions that are more proportional and transparent for everyone on our platform."