Twitter Blue subscribers can test the Edit Tweet feature later this month

Twitter may be getting closer to launching the highly requested Edit Tweet feature. But before it becomes available to more users, Twitter Blue subscribers will get to try it first.

The social media company announced last April Fools’ Day that the Edit Tweet feature is in the pipeline. A few days later, Twitter made another announcement to clarify that it was not just a prank and the feature is actually in the works.

Twitter confirmed this week that the Edit Tweet feature has been in testing internally. But more users will be able to test the functionality in the coming weeks once it becomes available on Twitter Blue, the company said in a blog post on Thursday.

A sample image appears in the same blog post to show what an edited tweet will look like. An edit icon will show up alongside a “Last edited” label and a timestamp when the latest modification was made. Twitter said clicking on the Edit Tweet label will display previous versions of the tweet.

From Twitter Blog

The version of Edit Tweet in testing will only allow Twitter users to change their post within 30 minutes after the tweet was published. “Think of it as a short period of time to do things like fix typos, add missed tags, and more,” Twitter said.

Having indicators and access to past versions of an edited tweet is similar to how other social media platforms implemented the same feature. A time limit is unique in this case, but Twitter said it is a significant aspect of the functionality. “For context, the time limit and version history play an important role here. They help protect the integrity of the conversation and create a publicly accessible record of what was said,” the company said.

Twitter did not provide an exact date when Twitter Blue members can start testing the Edit Tweet function, but the company said it should happen later this month. “The test will be localized to a single country at first and expand as we learn and observe how people use Edit Tweet,” Twitter added.

Twitter Blue is currently available in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States. The subscription service’s monthly pricing recently increased and it now costs 6.99 AUD / 6.49 CAD / 6.99 NZD / 4.99 USD.

Photo by Christian Lue on Unsplash