4 Ways Twitter Is Different from the Android App
Are you using the “bird app” or “the bird site”? It’s great that Twitter is available on the web and as a mobile app, but if you only use one or the other, you may not realize that they both have strengths and weaknesses. which may make one version or another better for you depending on how you use the platform.
Select your Twitter
You can login to Twitter website and use it efficiently with a full keyboard. Using the desktop view is handy if you post a lot of links from other sites, because it’s easier to browse through multiple tabs and copy and paste links on one computer.
It is also possible to log into the Twitter website in a mobile device’s browser and use it that way. By adding the link to your home screen, you get the accessibility benefits of the mobile app, without taking up extra space on your phone. Even then, the app works differently from the web view in several ways.
Download: Twitter for IOS | Android (free, subscription available)
Now let’s look at the main differences between Twitter on the web and Twitter on the app.
1. Some actions in the app have more steps
Many actions that require only one click on the website are broken down into multiple steps in the mobile app.
If you want to tweet in web view, just click the big blue Tweet button and use the icons below the text box to include the media you want. If you want to tweet in the mobile app, tap the + icon which will open another menu where you can select the media you want your tweet to be based on before composing it.
Navigating to a Twitter page from a tweet in your feed is also different. In web view, just click on the tweeter’s name to go directly to their profile from your feed. In the app, you have to go through the tweet by selecting it and then select their name in that tweet.
The app’s extensive journeys may seem more tedious than they actually are, but they also have a certain amount of fun. It’s like an online version of the crosswalk, even without the traffic.
2. Spaces function differently
If you’re a fan of Twitter Spaces, the mobile app is worth a try. You can listen to Spaces on the web version, but you can’t speak or host yourself there. You also have to look for gaps when they appear in your feed, making them easy to miss.
The screenshot above showing a tweet in the mobile app shows that launching a Twitter space is as easy as posting a new tweet. The microphone icon in the toolbar at the bottom of the mobile app also takes you to a special Spaces page, with Live Spaces at the top and Scheduled Spaces at the bottom for you to set reminders.
From the mobile app’s homepage, scrolling up your feed also shows Twitter Live Spaces hosted or attended by people you follow. This makes it easy to find interesting spaces.
3. Some actions only work in the app
We’ve already mentioned that you can only greet and speak in Twitter Spaces from the app. That’s not all you need to do with the app.
If you have Twitter Blue, you can use a verified NFT profile picture on Twitter. The menu item to do this will appear in the path to change your profile picture, but the menu item will not appear when you change your profile picture in the web version. So you don’t just need Twitter Blue and an NFT, you also need the app.
4. Notifications hit differently
Notifications are technically not on the list of things that only work in the app. If you only use the web view, you can give Twitter notifications a lot of power by going to Settings > Notifications > Preferences. From here you can enable push notifications as well as email notifications.
However, since most of us carry our phones with us wherever we go, app notifications can be more effective at grabbing our attention, especially when we’re away from a desktop computer. Depending on whether you want to stay close to your social media, this can be a plus or minus for the app.
This is one area where not choosing one point of view or another can really help you make the service your own. If Twitter is part of your schedule, you can choose to enable Twitter notifications for the web version on your computer and disable them for the mobile app. So you can use Spaces without a little bird in your ear wherever you go.
Why not use both?
If you love Spaces or NFTs, the app is the only way to get there. Basic mechanics work easier in web view and it’s nice to get rid of notifications. Both options for using Twitter have their advantages, but remember that you don’t have to choose one or the other.
