With Snapchat gaining on Facebook in total number of photo uploads (and receiving multi-billion dollar acquisition offers), and Instagram rumored to be developing a private chat service, it might be due time for Twitter to join the private messaging bandwagon. To bolster its existing private messaging service, Twitter has added the ability to send pictures over direct messages (DMs).
With Twitter’s most recent update you can send and view images in DMs from your mobile device or your desktop computer. On mobile, direct messages will also be easier to access with the Twitter app’s new navigation bar, which puts DMs just one tap away. Among other updates to the Twitter app, Twitter has also added a swipe function that lets you move quickly between timelines. On Twitter for iOS, you’ll now receive in-app notifications to alert you when people send you a DM or interact with one of your tweets. And on Twitter for Android, turn on notifications for specific users by tapping the star on their profile.
Is Twitter the Next Mobile Chat Service?
Do photos in DMs mean Twitter is aiming to become the next hit mobile chat service? While Twitter hasn’t explicitly stated that it aims to become the choice private messaging service, the ability to send pictures privately does allow Twitter to compete with the likes of Snapchat and Facebook on a new level. Maybe in the future Twitter will incorporate more robust photo storage or sharing capabilities to encourage users to send pictures over DMs. This update likely brings one added bonus, though: now that Twitter users can send pictures over DMs, I see spammers flooding our DM inboxes with naughty and annoying pics. Fun!
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