Twitter has reportedly started asking users who take screenshots of tweets to share a link to the tweet instead. The microblogging service appears to be detecting screenshots taken on the app, prompting users to copy a link to the tweet, or use the share menu to send the tweet to other users. The feature is said to be the latest effort by the firm to improve engagement on the platform, ahead of a takeover by Elon Musk that is expected to take place later this month.
Security researcher and reverse enginnering expert Jane Manchun Wong (Twitter: @wongmjane) on Friday shared a screenshot of the Twitter app on iOS, displaying a prompt with the text “Share Tweet instead?” and two buttons: Copy link and Share Tweet. Gadgets 360 was unable to reproduce the prompt on multiple iOS devices.
The company confirmed to The Verge that the new feature prompting users to share the tweet or copy a link to the tweet, is part of a limited test in iOS. Wong says that the feature is part of the company’s attempts to increase engagement on the platform. It is worth noting that finding a tweet spotted on a screenshot requires visitng the Twitter app or website and searching for a username or the tweet.
Last month, Twitter was also spotted working on a tooltip that prompts users under a tweet, asking them to “Share this tweet with anyone, even if they aren’t on Twitter”. The nudge is said to appear under the buttons to reply, retweet, like and share under a tweet.
The company already allows users to share tweets directly to their Instagram stories, but people who view the story cannot tap on the shared tweet to access it on the Twitter app.
Back in July, the researcher spotted a feature in testing, which allowed users who do not have an account to “Try Twitter” to follow and read tweets on the mobile app. Users who try the app and want to tweet, retweet, like, bookmark will still be required to sign up for the service, or log in.