Twitter is testing a ‘share to WhatsApp’ function in India, special button appears for some users- Technology News, Firstpost

FP StaffSep 09, 2022 17:12:53 IST

Sharing tweets on other platforms can be a slightly cumbersome process. To make this simpler, Twitter is testing a new feature that allows users to share their tweets directly over WhatsApp in India. 

The way Twitter is implementing this is by using a special button that just appears under each tweet where the share button used to be. Currently, this feature is available only to Android users in India. The feature, however, has had a rather odd implementation.

some of you might see a WhatsApp Share icon and if you do, let us know what you think pic.twitter.com/Y23vWUPTs1

— Twitter India (@TwitterIndia) September 8, 2022

The WhatsApp share button will replace the regular share button under the tweet, which opens different options like bookmarking, sending via Direct Message, copying link to tweets and sharing to other social media platforms. The WhatsApp icon is just replacing the share icon without changing the functionality.

WhatsApp has more than 400 million users in India and is one of the most used apps to share content with friends and family in the country. Even in a number of offices, Twitter is used as an unofficial but official instant messaging app. Twitter is trying to tap into the mass appeal of the Meta-owned messaging app and direct more users toward its platform.

Shirish Andhare, director and product head, Twitter India said:

“Starting today, we are rolling out a new experiment exclusively in India – an important market for us. We are replacing the share icon on Tweets with the WhatsApp icon for the majority of people who use Twitter on Android in the country, so sharing their favourite or noteworthy Tweets is easy even beyond Twitter, making the experience more open, accessible, and holistic for them.”

As stated, the feature, as of now, is limited to Android users in India. But given it’s an experiment, the company could scrap this new sharing feature altogether.