Usernames Will No Longer Count Toward Tweet Character Limits, Twitter Says

Twitter has made an update to its platform that opens up more characters to use in a tweet.

The social network will no longer count a username’s characters toward a tweet limit when typing a reply.

“Who you are replying to will appear above the Tweet text rather than within the Tweet text itself, so you have more characters to have conversations,” Twitter explains. “When reading a conversation, you’ll actually see what people are saying, rather than seeing lots of @usernames at the start of a Tweet.”

It’s now easier to follow a conversation, so you can focus on what a discussion is about, and who is having it. Also, with all 140 characters for your replies, you have more room to participate in group conversations.

Twitter says the updates are based on feedback as well as internal research.

“In our tests of this new experience, we found that people engage more with conversations on Twitter,” the company noted.

Social Media Use Increased 21% in 2016