Elon Musk Plans to ‘Deprecate’ Twitter Circles – Elon Musk has stated that Twitter may soon phase out Twitter Circles and shift its attention towards enhancing Communities and group DM functionalities. The fate of existing tweets shared within private Circles remains uncertain.
In a recent tweet shared on Friday, Elon Musk announced that Twitter will be “deprecating Circles in favor of improved Communities & DM group chat.” As Musk did not offer further details, the exact meaning of “deprecate” remains somewhat ambiguous.
It could indicate Twitter ending technical support for the feature or completely removing it from the platform altogether. Last August, Twitter introduced Circles as a feature that enables users to share tweets exclusively with a limited group of followers, similar to Instagram’s Close Friends functionality.
People Also Read: Instagram Launches App to Rival Twitter
The feature had a security breach in April, which caused some of those tweets to be visible outside of private Circles. Twitter blamed a “security incident” for the bug and said it was “committed to protecting the privacy of the people who use our service, and we understand the risks that an incident like this can introduce and we deeply regret this happened.”
Soon after Musk’s tweet, the term “Circles” gained significant traction on Twitter, as numerous existing Circles users expressed their disappointment over the potential discontinuation of the feature. They also sought clarification regarding the fate of tweets that have already been shared within Circles, a particular detail that remains uncertain.
Twitter introduced the Communities feature in 2021, providing users with a distinct yet comparable experience. It enables individuals to connect with like-minded users on the platform who share common interests, such as dogs or astrology.
In contrast to Circles, tweets shared within Twitter Communities are visible to the broader Twitter audience. However, individuals who are not part of a specific Community are unable to interact with those tweets or engage in Community discussions.
Elon Musk’s mention of “improved Communities” could potentially imply the inclusion of private Community options that resemble a Twitter Circle. Interestingly, Musk’s announcement coincides with the recent release of Meta’s app Threads, which presents a similar visual design and user experience to Twitter.
READ MORE
Twitter Threatens To Sue Meta Over Threads
Meta Delays EU Launch of Twitter Rival Threads
Netflix Sees Jump in Subs as it Begins to Curb Password Sharing in US