Tweetbot 3 for Mac debuts with dark mode, expanded side bar, and more

Tapbots has launched a brand new version of Tweetbot for Mac that adds features and design refinements throughout the Twitter client — and an aggressive new icon. Tweetbot 3 for Mac includes an expanded side bar for power users, media features including accessibility improvements, and dark mode on the Mac for the first time ever.

Users can now resize the side bar to choose between the previous icon-only navigation or a new expanded icon and text view that includes sub-sections for accounts, mentions, direct messages, lists, and more. The new expanded side bar in Tweetbot 3 feels much more Mac-like and works well especially in full screen.

The new version also includes accessibility improvements including the ability to add a text description to an uploaded image before tweeting. This lets any Twitter user access a text description of the image (like with VoiceOver) when a text description of the image is supplied.

Other media changes include the ability to auto-play videos from the timeline view without clicking (by using a mouse over) which can be toggled on and off, and swipeable image windows when clicking grouped images from tweets.

Tweetbot 3 also has visual tweaks and refinements throughout — and dark mode is perhaps the most dramatic. Tweetbot has long had a gray themed option on iOS, and today Tweetbot 3 for Mac introduces dark mode for macOS. Tweetbot still includes the default light view (which I still prefer when running Tweetbot alongside Safari) but the dark theme is now an appearance option too.

Tweetbot 3 is launching on the Mac just a few weeks after Twitter officially killed off its own client for macOS, and before a now-delayed API change that will affect remaining third-party apps.

But Tapbots is confident that Tweetbot will be able to work with any API changes that may come in the future with minor changes to how the app works in case customers are concerned with investing in a new app version.

Here’s what Tapbots says about the API changes:

There’s a lot of confusion about upcoming Twitter changes and we’d like to clear that up:

1. Nothing is happening on June 19th. The API deprecations have been delayed indefinitely.
2. If/when Twitter deprecates the current streaming APIs, the apps will still function fine. Only a few features may be slower or removed.
3. Twitter has a replacement API that (if we’re given access to) we’ll be able to use to replace almost all of the functionality that they are deprecating.

On Mac, the worst case scenario is that we won’t be able to show notifications for Likes/Retweets. Notifications for Tweets, Mentions, Quotes, DMs and Follows will be delayed 1-2 minutes.

Expandable Sidebar.
Tweetbot’s new optional expanded sidebar provides one-click access to all of your subsections like lists, direct message conversations, and saved searches.

Drag & Drop Columns.
Columns have been redesigned from the ground up to be faster and easier to use. Just drag the column circle to the right to add columns and back to the left to hide them. Columns persist even when hidden.

Better Media.
Automatically play videos and GIFs in your timeline with a quick mouseover. A click on media opens it up in our lightning fast new media viewer.

Dark Theme.
Your eyes will appreciate the new dark theme in low light situations. And the images and video in your timeline will love the extra attention.

Timeline Filters.
The powerful timeline filters from Tweetbot for iOS are finally on the Mac. Quickly filter a timeline to show only tweets with media, retweets, links, or create your own keyword or rules-based filters.

Mute Filters.
Hide Tweets in your timelines by specific users, keywords, hashtags, or even the client that published the Tweet. Create limited time filters to avoid spoilers for upcoming blockbuster movies or sporting events.

Lists.
Full support for managing your Twitter lists. Use them as custom curated timelines or even as your main timeline.Notifications.
View your mentions and activity in a combined view or separately under the new notifications tab.

iCloud Sync.
Tweetbot for Mac syncs your read position and much more with Tweetbot for iOS so your experience is seamless when switching from desktop to mobile and vice versa.

Tweet Topics.
Topics automatically chain together multiple Tweets to easily create tweetstorms or live blog events.

Full Screen.
Open Tweetbot fullscreen with columns for a command center-like Twitter experience.

Multiple Accounts.
Quickly switch between multiple accounts via the quick account picker, menu bar or keyboard shortcuts. Open them in separate windows or full screen spaces.

Profile Notes.
Ever forget why you followed someone or wanted to jot notes on a user for future reference? Create notes on a user’s profile that only you can see.

Quick Paste Links.
Paste Tweet or profile web links directly into Tweetbot to view them instantly.

Tweetbot 3.0 for Mac is a $9.99 paid upgrade for app customers — the first since version 1.0 for original customers! — and launches today on the Mac App Store.

Check out 9to5Mac on YouTube for more Apple news: