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After a few years of using an algorithm, Twitter is finally allowing users to revert to a chronological timeline. Twitter announced on Tuesday, September 18, that they are now allowing users to switch between viewing tweets in reverse chronological order or based on the site’s algorithms.
Twitter first ditched the chronological timeline for an algorithm-based timeline back in 2016. Now, they will allow users to decide between a chronological timeline and an algorithm-driven timeline.
Users have been begging Twitter to switch back to a chronological timeline ever since the change was first made in 2016. After years of “feedback” (AKA complaints), Twitter finally decided to make the switch in September 2018.
🆕 if you turn off timeline ranking in settings today, you’ll see all the tweets from people you follow in reverse chronological order…no “in case you missed it” or tweets the people you follow “liked”. https://t.co/F9qOg9aC22
— jack (@jack) September 18, 2018
The social media giant explained their decision on their official Twitter Support account:
We’re working on new ways to give you more control over your timeline. But first, some context: Twitter helps you see what’s happening by showing the best Tweets for you based on your interactions.
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.
Meanwhile, today we updated the “Show the best Tweets first” setting. When off, you’ll only see Tweets from people you follow in reverse chronological order. Previously when turned off, you’d also see “In case you missed it” and recommended Tweets from people you don’t follow.
Our plan is to eventually replace this setting when the easier-to-access switch described above is available. We’ll keep you updated and are listening to your feedback – let us know what you think!
How To Turn On ‘Chronological Timeline’ On Twitter
Step 1: Open Twitter & click on your profile picture in the top left corner to open the main menu.
Step 2: Once at the menu, click on ‘Settings and privacy’:
Step 3: After clicking Settings and Privacy, click on ‘Content preferences’:
Step 4: After clicking Content preferences, TURN OFF the ‘Show the best Tweets first’ option:
