From Fleets to Vine: The Features Twitter Left Behind

Twitter, now known as X, has undergone numerous changes over the years, including shutting down several features. Here are some of the notable features that have been discontinued:

Fleets. Introduced in November 2020, Fleets were Twitter's version of stories, allowing users to post temporary content that disappeared after 24 hours. The feature was discontinued in August 2021 due to low user engagement.

Periscope. Twitter acquired Periscope, a live-streaming app, in 2015. While Periscope itself was popular initially, its functionalities were eventually integrated into Twitter's main app, leading to Periscope's shutdown in March 2021.

Moments. Twitter Moments allowed users to curate and share collections of tweets about specific events or topics. While the feature was initially available to all users, Twitter limited its access and finally phased it out in 2022.

TweetDeck Teams. TweetDeck Teams allowed multiple users to manage a single Twitter account through TweetDeck. The feature was shut down in 2019 to simplify TweetDeck's development.

Third-Party App Features. Over the years, Twitter has restricted third-party apps from accessing certain features, such as direct messages and user streams, by changing its API policies. These changes have limited the functionality of many third-party Twitter clients.

Vine. Twitter acquired Vine, a short-form video hosting service, in 2012. Vine allowed users to create and share six-second looping videos. Despite its popularity, Vine was shut down in 2017 due to competition from other video platforms and a strategic shift by Twitter.

Verify Applications. Twitter's public verification program, which allowed users to apply for a blue checkmark, has been paused multiple times over the years. The program has faced criticism for its inconsistent and unclear criteria.

Twitter Dashboard. Launched in 2016, Twitter Dashboard was a tool designed to help businesses manage their accounts by scheduling tweets, monitoring mentions, and providing analytics. It was discontinued in early 2017.

Twitter Music. Twitter Music was an app launched in 2013 to help users discover music through tweets and artist recommendations. It failed to gain traction and was shut down in 2014.

Twitlonger Integration. Twitlonger, a service allowing users to post tweets longer than the standard character limit, had unofficial integration with Twitter. Changes to Twitter's character limits and policies reduced the need for such services, leading to less use and relevance.

While these features have been discontinued, Twitter continues to evolve and introduce new functionalities to enhance user experience and adapt to changing digital trends.