'Sparkle' Button Lets Twitter Users Control How Their Timelines Are Organized

Twitter just released a new update for the iOS version of the app, allowing users to tap a new sparkle icon in the top-right corner of the app to switch between chronological or algorithmically determined timelines. Indicated by a sparkle emoji, the new feature arrives after Twitter continued to receive criticism for insisting on showing users what they call "the best tweets" first instead of the latest tweets.

The default view of the timeline is called "Home," and it will feature the top tweets first, with content tailored to your interests. Users will also be able to jump to their content preferences with the new icon, offering a shortcut to security and safety features such as muted words and blocked accounts. The "top tweets" feature was initially introduced in 2016 to a mostly negative response, and the company has been attempting to fine-tune the algorithm since.

"We're working on new ways to give you more control over you timeline," Twitter explained today. "We've learned that when showing the best tweets first, people find Twitter more relevant and useful. However, we've heard feedback from people who at times prefer to see the most recent tweets. Our goal with the timeline is to balance showing you the most recent tweets with the best tweets you’re likely to care about, but we don’t always get this balance right. So, we’re working on providing you with an easily accessible way to switch between a timeline of Tweets that are most relevant for you and a timeline of the latest tweets. You’ll see us test this in the coming weeks."