Twitter is testing new sorting options for Communities

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Gifs On Twitter For Iphone
Gifs On Twitter For Iphone (Image credit: Luke Filipowicz / iMore)

What you need to know

  • Twitter is testing new sorting options for Communities.
  • People can choose to use the algorithm or a reverse-chronological timeline.
  • The test is now available to iOS, web, and Android users with no information shared on when it will conclude.

Twitter has announced that it is testing a change to Communities that will allow people to sort their timeline in one of two ways. The options are now available on iOS, the web, and Android but Twiter isn't saying how long the test will run for.

The change will allow people to sort their Twitter Communities timelines either by the most relevant, or latest tweets. This mirrors the same options that are available for the main timeline feed and gives users more control over how tweets from inside Communities are presented. Those who like the algorithm can use it, while those who prefer the old-fashioned reverse chronological timeline can choose that option instead.

a new way to view your Communities timeline: sort Tweets by For you (most relevant to you) or Latest (most recent)—the choice is yours!

Communities effectively give people a separate timeline in which only people who are part of that community can converse. Think of Communities as your own private Twitter and you'll get the idea, with each one based around a particular theme or subject chosen by its creator.

This change, like Communities themselves, requires that people use the official Twitter app to read tweets. Unfortunately, many would argue that the best iPhone app for doing that isn't made by Twitter but rather a third-party developer. The App Store is full of great Twitter apps, but none of them have access to Communities, let alone this latest timeline test.

Oliver Haslam
Oliver Haslam
Contributor

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.