Twitter Updates Android And iOS Apps

Twitter has updated its Android and iOS apps that are designed to make them easier to use and quicker at finding content on the popular social media platform.

The updates to search and Web browsing are also being added to Twitter’s mobile.twitter.com site, according to a 6 March post by software engineer Nick Takayama on the Twitter Blog. The improvements follow another recent change that allows users to see older Tweets in their search results, Takayama wrote.

Updated Apps

“Now when you search for important Twitter moments, you may see a Top Tweet separate from the rest of the results,” he wrote. “This Tweet is the best match for your query based on relevance and engagement. To see additional Tweets from this time period, tap on ‘View more from this time.’ Try searching for ‘four more years’ or ‘deep challenge’ on your phone to see an example.”

Twitter for iPhone and iPad users will now find several improvements aimed at improving their experiences on their devices, he wrote.

If a user opens a link from a Tweet, they’ll now see that Tweet displayed at the bottom of the app’s built-in Web browser, wrote Takayama. “This provides additional context to the page you’re viewing, and makes it easy for you to retweet, favorite or reply to the Tweet as you’re reading an article or watching a video,” he wrote. “If you don’t want to see the Tweet, simply tap the page and the Tweet will slide away from view. By pulling up or down on the tray icon, the Tweet will appear or disappear from view.”

Also improved is the autocomplete function on iPhones or iPads. Now, when users search on Twitter or compose a Tweet, they’ll see more hashtag, topic and username suggestions as they type, according to Takayama. “Additionally, autocomplete suggestions for topic searches will be updated more frequently and feel real-time.”

The updated apps can be downloaded immediately from the App Store or Google Play sites.

The Twitter app for Android was first released in April 2010, and it was quickly opened to the open-source community, according to an earlier eWEEK report.

The Twitter app for iPhones and iPod Touch devices was launched in May 2010. Its first mobile app was readied for BlackBerry devices.

Security Scares

In February, Twitter was forced to reset the passwords of 250,000 of its users after it discovered that hackers breached the social network’s security systems. Sophisticated cyber-attackers may have gained access to passwords, usernames and other information, which prompted Twitter to unilaterally reset the passwords of 250,000 subscribers to the social network.

With its announcements, Twitter added its name to a list of high-profile companies in the news in January for being targeted in attacks. That list included The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post. According to reports, many are placing the blame for the hacks on the newspapers on Chinese espionage. While Lord referenced the attacks against the papers in his blog post, he did not specifically link the Twitter attack to Chinese hackers.

Twitter has been hit by serious cyber-attacks in the past. Hackers accessed at least 45 accounts between January and May 2009, which prompted a Federal Trade Commission investigation that resulted in a settlement in which the company agreed to implement more rigorous security measures.

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