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Nighthawk is a new iOS Twitter client with Smart Filters, a ‘Close Friends’ timeline, more

Twitter can quickly turn into an endless stream of tweets that, without the proper filters and tools, is quite overwhelming. Nighthawk for iOS is a new Twitter client for iPhone and iPad with the goal of making the social network easier to manage with powerful filters, a Close Friends timeline, and more.

The developers behind Nighthawk spoke to hundreds of people who use Twitter with varying use cases. The consensus among those users was that social media, especially Twitter, “can be a lot to manage.” To combat that sense of overwhelming, Nighthawk employs a few unique features.

Other Twitter apps allow you to mute certain words and phrases. Nighthawk takes things a step further with its Smart Filters feature. The app includes a collection of human-curated filters, ranging from filters for “US Politics” and TV shows to muting all support accounts completely. This is a great way to get inspiration for which tweets you can hide to improve your Twitter experience.

You’re bound to come across some tweets that might rub you the wrong way, which is why Nighthawk provides tons of human-curated filters. Looking to take a break from election chatter? Add the U.S. Politics filter. Been meaning to finish Succession? Add the Succession filter and hide tweets with potential spoilers.

Nighthawk also allows you to create a “Close Friends” feed. Here, you can create a timeline that includes tweets only from your selected friends. The accounts you choose for your “Close Friends” feed will be completely hidden, which should significantly reduce the clutter in your Twitter timeline.

Your closest friends probably mean more to you than Brand X does, so it would make sense to give your friends’ tweets priority over everyone else’s. Enter the Close Friends timeline. When Nighthawk is first launched, you’re given the option to select who your close friends are. When you view your Close Friends timeline, all other accounts will be hidden, allowing your friends and their dumb opinions to rise to the top.

Nighthawk isn’t trying to compete with or replace apps like Tweetbot and Twitterrific, developers Nathan Lawrence and Sam Gold say. They believe that Nighthawk can coexist with those apps as an alternative Twitter experience, when necessary. The goal is to give users the ability to get a more granular Twitter experience, not the “opaque agenda of a black-box algorithm” experience provided by the official Twitter for iOS app.

We’re not making an app that replaces those other Twitter experiences. We’re focused on doing a few things that make your social media experience better and doing them really well.

By default, Nighthawk displays tweets chronologically, like you would find in most other Twitter apps. Once you tap into features like Smart Filters and Close Friends, however, you can create a personalized Twitter experience. Other features of Nighthawk include an ad-free experience, custom icons, and more. It is available on the App Store as a $3.99 download.

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Avatar for Chance Miller Chance Miller

Chance is the editor-in-chief of 9to5Mac, overseeing the entire site’s operations. He also hosts the 9to5Mac Daily and 9to5Mac Happy Hour podcasts.

You can send tips, questions, and typos to chance@9to5mac.com.

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