Twitter trials 280-character tweet limit


BBC | Published: September 27, 2017 11:06:34 | Updated: October 21, 2017 17:43:42


Internet photo used only for representation.

Social media site Twitter is trialling longer character limits to help users "easily express themselves".

Twitter currently limits tweets to 140 characters, but has doubled that to 280 characters for a small group of users.

The current character limit was "a major cause of frustration" for some users, the firm said in a blog post.

The firm has been suffering from slowing growth and the shift could be one way for the firm to widen its appeal and attract new users.

"Trying to cram your thoughts into a Tweet - we've all been there, and it's a pain," Twitter product manager Aliza Rosen wrote on Tuesday.

Ms Rosen said the longer character limit was being tested in all languages bar Japanese, Chinese and Korean which she said could convey more information in a single character.

"We understand since many of you have been Tweeting for years, there may be an emotional attachment to 140 characters - we felt it, too."

"But we tried this, saw the power of what it will do, and fell in love with this new, still brief, constraint," she said.

Share if you like