It’s what so many users have been waiting so long for – the Twitter edit button. Tests have finally begun to see if editing tweets is the way to go. Find out more here!

Users have been requesting an “edit” button on Twitter since, what feels like, the dawn of time. Yesterday, the platform revealed that one is finally in the works.

now that everyone is asking…

yes, we’ve been working on an edit feature since last year!

no, we didn’t get the idea from a poll 😉

we're kicking off testing within @TwitterBlue Labs in the coming months to learn what works, what doesn’t, and what’s possible.

— Twitter Comms (@TwitterComms) April 5, 2022

The test button will just be available to Twitter Blue users, who pay for a premium subscription. This doesn’t mean it won’t become more widely available later on. When Twitter introduced its hexagonal NFT profile pictures, they were exclusive to Twitter Blue users. Since then, they’ve become available to everyone.

Enabling users to edit tweets opens up the option of fixing typos or errors without having to lose any replies, retweets, or likes. Up until now, users would have to delete the original tweet and start from scratch if they wished to make amendments. This will come as a huge relief to anyone who hurriedly mashes the keyboard whilst engaging in furious “back and forths” on the site.

It’s natural to feel a level of concern around the Twitter edit button, though. The ability to redact statements and retroactively censor your replies could lead to misrepresentation of conversations. The authenticity of interactions could be potentially jeopardised. Fortunately, this is something Twitter has already taken into account. This could possibly be one of the factors for the Twitter edit button taking so long. Jay Sullivan, the company’s VP of consumer product, said in a thread:

3/ Without things like time limits, controls, and transparency about what has been edited, Edit could be misused to alter the record of the public conversation. Protecting the integrity of that public conversation is our top priority when we approach this work.

— Jay Sullivan (@jaysullivan) April 5, 2022

He also said that the edit feature will be approached with care and thoughtfulness. The fact an edit feature is being explored at all comes contrary to what original CEO, Jack Dorsey said in 2018. Dorsey, when asked about editable tweets, said that Twitter would “probably never” make it possible.