Twitter announces mobile app update for Apple and Android devices

In its blog yesterday, Twitter announced new versions of its mobile app for both iPhone and Android. And, surprise, iPhone gets the best of it. Here's a quick look at what to expect.

Users of both devices can once again take advantage of the previously axed swipe shortcut and the newly tweaked “find friends” feature. For those new to the app, the swipe shortcut allows you to reply, retweet, favorite or share, or view user profiles without ever leaving your timeline.

The “find friends” feature now includes a new alert that asks you to confirm the search before it begins. This notification more clearly states the fact that Twitter will find your friends by uploading your contacts’ email addresses and phone numbers. Keep in mind that fellow Twitter-using friends will only show up in this feature if they’ve opted to let the network find them this way.

(Android users: feel free to skip this next bit, as it only pertains to the iPhone version. But hey, look on the bright side, Twitter optimized its new version for ICS, Kindle Fire, and the Barnes and Noble Nook Color and Nook Tablet. However, Nook versions won’t be available until tomorrow.)

Twitter’s iPhone version also adds a few more options to the “share” feature. These include the ability to tweet, email, or read the story later (you will first need to select a “read later service” under advanced settings).

Direct messaging has also been improved upon with the returned ability to mark all DMs as read by simply tapping the checkmark in the lower right corner (you can still delete messages one by one). iPhone users can also tweak the app’s font size under advanced settings (sizes range from 14 to 20).

Via: Cnet