Twitter hack lets YOU try its new 280 character tweet limit before anyone else, here’s how
TWITTER has announced plans to increase its iconic 140 character limit to 280 characters per tweet. It is currently trialling the new feature, but there’s a way to skip the queue and add an additional 140 characters to your tweets now – and here's how.
Twitter has doubled its tweet limit – with 280 characters now available in each tweet
Twitter is trialling a new 280-character limit on tweets.
The US social network says the move should help users get around the "constraints" posed by certain languages.
Twitter said it wants users to "easily express themselves on Twitter" and believes the current 140 character limit makes it difficult for those "cramming" their tweets in languages such as English and Spanish.
Just 0.4% of tweets sent in Japanese have 140 characters, which is a "considerable difference to a 9% of English tweets having 140 characters", the California-based company said.
This is due to languages like Japanese and Chinese being able to convey more in one character, it added.
Can’t fit your Tweet into 140 characters? ������
— Twitter (@Twitter) September 26, 2017
We’re trying something new with a small group, and increasing the character limit to 280! Excited about the possibilities? Read our blog to find out how it all adds up. ������https://t.co/C6hjsB9nbL
The feature will be available in all languages except Japanese, Chinese and Korean.
Twitter is currently rolling-out the new 280 character limit to a small percentage of its 328 million monthly active users.
Tweets get right to the point with the information or thoughts that matter. That is something we will never change
The US company says it is "excited to see how those with 280 characters use it".
Twitter Product Manager, Aliza Rosen said: "We want every person around the world to easily express themselves on Twitter, so we're doing something new: we're going to try out a longer limit, 280 characters, in languages impacted by cramming."
But despite the move to 280 characters, Rosen stressed that Twitter is still about brevity, adding: "It's what makes it such a great way to see what's happening.
"Tweets get right to the point with the information or thoughts that matter. That is something we will never change."
If you are not one of the select few chosen to trial the new 280 character limit, there is a workaround to enable the new functionality.
Twitter user Prof. 9 has created a TamperMonkey script that enables the additional characters when posting from Twitter.com.
Tampermonkey is a browser extension that enables users to install userscripts (also known as Greasemonkey scripts) that bring additional functionality to your web browser.
For example, these scripts can be used to add a Download button on YouTube pages, clean-up unwanted aspects of your Facebook timeline or help playing an online game, the Chrome App Store listing claims.
Once you’ve installed Tampermonkey on your web browser of choice, hit the RAW button on the GitHub page to install the script to your browser.
Tampermonkey enables users to install a number of user scripts to enable new functionality
Make sure the script is enabled, then head to Twitter to the freedom of those extra 140 characters.
Earlier this year, Twitter made all the 140 characters available to users replying to tweets.
It also removed character limits from Direct Messages sent privately between users and stopped counting images and other media attached to tweets as part of the character limit in an attempt to improve the service.
Twitter recorded a five per cent increase in the number of users compared with 2016, but revealed in its Q2 earnings this year that revenue fell five per cent on the same quarter last year to 574 million dollars (£436 million).