Twitter Makes Changes To Tweets, Extends 140 Character Limit

As part of the development, the microblogging platform said that photos, videos and other media won’t count toward Twitter’s 140-character limit.

The change means that Twitter users will be able to fit more words into tweets that have previously been limited when they wanted to add media such as photos, videos or polls.

Before now, when a user posts a photo, it counts for about 24 characters of the 140, which eventually shortens the intended post.

According to the San Francisco Company, the change, is yet another attempt to make its messaging service easier to use, and to attract new users.

Also, when replying to another user’s tweet, the “@username” at the beginning will disappear, allowing users to fit more text into their 140-character replies. Names with the @ symbol in the middle of a tweet, however, will still count against the limit.

Twitter users will be able to retweet and quote their own tweets.

In the coming months, we’re introducing new ways for you to express even more with a Tweet: https://t.co/l1sWRvXWqr pic.twitter.com/zzhWpRcABs

— Twitter (@twitter) May 24, 2016

Additionally, tweets that begin by mentioning a user, but are not replies to other tweets, will now be visible in all followers’ timelines. Previously, only users who followed both accounts would see these, If a user wanted this to happen, they had to put a period before the @ symbol.

“These changes will allow for richer public conversations that are easier to follow on Twitter, and ensure people can attach extra elements, media, and content to tweets without sacrificing the characters they have to share their view,” senior director of developer and platform relations Prashant Sridharan wrote today on Twitter’s Developer Blog.

The changes essentially mean the 140 character limit, which was originally linked to text messaging limits, now refer just to the text of a tweet, rather than additional media or the people the tweets are directed at.

The company also noted that the changes are part of the plan to please it’s over 310 million monthly active users.