Twitter Rolls Out Fleets Globally in the Coming Days

As an easier way for everyone to join the conversation

United Arab Emirates -  November 18, 2020:   Twitter’s purpose is to serve the public conversation – it’s where people go to see what's happening and talk about it. But some have expressed that Tweeting is uncomfortable because it feels so public, so permanent, and like there's so much pressure to rack up Retweets and Likes. That’s why, there are so many  Tweets left in drafts. To help people feel more comfortable, Twitter has been working on a lower pressure way for people to talk about what’s happening. Today, Twitter is introducing Fleets so everyone can easily join the conversation in a new way – with their fleeting thoughts.

Fleets are for sharing momentary thoughts – they help start conversations and they only stick around for 24 hours. Through Twitter’s tests in Brazil, Italy, India, and South Korea, the company learned Fleets helped people feel more comfortable joining the conversation. People with Fleets joined more conversations on Twitter through Fleets as well as Direct Messages. Those new to Twitter found Fleets to be an easier way to share what's on their mind. Because they disappear from view after a day, Fleets helped people feel more comfortable sharing personal and casual thoughts, opinions, and feelings. These are early findings from Twitter’s tests and it aims to learn more about how Fleets are used.

People can Fleet text, Tweets, photos or videos and customize their Fleets with various background and text options. To share a Tweet in a Fleet, people tap the “Share” icon at the bottom of the Tweet and then tap, “Share in Fleet.” Then, add what they think about it with some text or emojis. Soon, stickers and live broadcasting will be available in Fleets.

Followers can see Fleets at the top of their home timeline. Anyone who can see a full profile can see the account’s Fleets there too. If an account has open Direct Messages, anyone can reply to its Fleets. If a person wants to reply to a Fleet, they can tap on it to send a Direct Message or emoji to the author, and continue the conversation in their Direct Messages. Learn more about how Fleets work here.

Fleets will be updated over time with new features, based on people’s feedback. This format has been around for a while and Twitter has realized that it makes sense for its platform too. In the coming days, everyone globally will have Fleets on Twitter for iOS and Android. 

This launch comes as part of Twitter’s objective to make people feel both comfortable and in control of their conversations on the platform. Fleets and Twitter’s recent voice Tweets feature - that gives people another way to express themselves - make it easier for people to join the conversation. As for enabling people to further control their conversations, Twitter’s recent conversation settings prevent unwanted replies from meaningful conversations.