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Twitter to launch standalone Direct Messaging app?

Twitter has been making a lot of improvements to its messaging experience in its mobile apps in recent months. It first introduced Direct Message syncing and other improvements back in July, and in recent weeks started rolling out the ability to receive direct messages from any follower (even those you don’t specifically follow) for a select number of users after testing it internally. Today, a new report claims that Twitter is planning further improvements to Direct Messaging and could as far as launching a standalone messaging app, much like Facebook Messenger.

The company plans to significantly update its direct-messaging product in the near future, according to multiple sources, bringing the long-buried feature to the forefront for the first time in years.

But Twitter’s new vision for direct messages will go further. It has kicked around the idea of launching a standalone direct-messaging application separate from the Twitter app, according to three people familiar with the matter. It is unclear, however, what form the final revamp of direct messages will take.

The report doesn’t provide much more info on Twitter’s plans, but does say it recently met with employees from MessageMe, one of the increasingly popular messaging apps that Twitter’s revamped DM service would attempt to combat. It also adds that we could see the new Direct Messaging app by the end of the year alongside a previously reported design overhaul.

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Comments

  1. Kyle Sus (@Hawk_Ky) - 10 years ago

    If they want it to succeed, it needs to be embedded in the Twitter app. There are already too many stand-alone messaging apps out there. The smart thing would be to integrate it into something millions of people already use.

  2. PMZanetti - 10 years ago

    These companies just need to stop. Social Media fad is waning. Twitter has already waned. Facebook launched an App for messaging, and then they said they would launch an app just for sending Audio snippets to one another! LOL what is 1994?

    How any of these entities can think that their circle is big enough to say, “Our own messaging system is THAT popular that it should have its own App.” ….its beyond me.

  3. Meh. About the only thing I use twitter for is logging into this dumb site to post stupid comments. Even then I really should remember my WordPress password, then I could even reply to people.

Author

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Jordan Kahn

Jordan writes about all things Apple as Senior Editor of 9to5Mac, & contributes to 9to5Google, 9to5Toys, & Electrek.co. He also co-authors 9to5Mac’s Logic Pros series.