If you’ve been hoping that Twitter would launch something to make it feel like Snapchat and Instagram Stories, then you’re in luck with the launch of their new feature, Fleets. Admittedly, I looked at the calendar to see if we had somehow fast forwarded to April 1, 2021 because… well, Fleets? Really? Do they know what that is? (Ahem cough enema cough). But yeah, wishful thinking. Just let us edit tweets after they’ve been published, Twitter! Pretty please.
Related: Twitter tricks you might not know, but should.
Okay okay, in all seriousness, Fleets allow you to post content (videos, photos, and words, oh my) that only stays live for 24 hours, hence the name – fleeting? Get it? I think? Similar to Snapchat and Instagram Stories, you can share what’s happening “in the moment,” and people can message you to comment or say “hi” or do whatever they want to do. That means you need to make sure you’ve got your messages open to allow such things.
You can Fleet text, your reactions to tweets, as well as photos or videos, plus you can customize them with various background and text options, which look verrrrry similar to Insta and Snap. If you want to share a Tweet in a Fleet (say that 10 times fast), you tap the “Share” icon at the bottom of the Tweet and then tap, “Share in Fleet,” and add emojis at will. And get ready: live broadcasting will be coming soon.
Fleets live at the top of your timeline, so people who can see your full profile can see what you’ve been up to, at least for the last 24 hours. Then they disappear, until you decide to fleet again. Not seeing them yet? Make sure you’ve got the newest version of your OS and the newest version of the app. And be patient. They’re rolling these out today, so it might take a bit before people start overfleeting.
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