Times are a-changin’, and limits are a-goin’. Finally, Twitter has announced that links and photos will no longer count toward its 140-character limit on tweets.
The move that comes just two months after Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey said the 140-character limit is here to stay. But now, the company is reneging on previous claims, and the relaxed limit is expected to make its appearance “over the coming months.”
By not counting links and photos (which are shared as links), users will be able to type an extra 23 characters — the number each shortened link currently takes up. That means, if you share a link with an accompanying image, which adds another link to the tweet, you will have an extra 46 characters to use for writing.
Previously, Twitter mentioned the possibility of raising its character limit to 10,000. And while this may not be the case, a number of other updates are also expected to be rolled out soon, including the ability to quote and retweet yourself. This means bidding adieu to tweetstorms, since you’ll be newly able to include past tweets.
Considering tweets with images get 18 percent more clicks, 89 percent more favorites, and 150 percent more retweets, this welcomed change should prove useful for users who share photos alongside links or other content. In the Twitter universe, any extra space is highly prized. No longer will “u b forced 2 write lyk this” to fit all of your content into a single tweet.
Twitter’s future has been in question by many, especially investors, but incremental improvements such as this could prove vital to its continued success. It’s not the 10,000 character limit many wanted, but it shows Twitter is working to make sharing more efficient and useful to its users. In a blog post announcing the changes, Twitter wrote, “We’re exploring ways to make existing uses easier and enable new ones, all without compromising the unique brevity and speed that make Twitter the best place for live commentary, connections, and conversations.”
Updated on 05-24-2016 by Lulu Chang: Added Twitter’s official announcement regarding the end of the 140-character limit, plus additional updates.
