Twitter finally stops counting usernames toward conversation replies

Twitter is rolling out a change to conversations that is long overdue – @usernames not counting toward the 140-character Tweet limit.

The change will see @usernames appear above the Tweet text rather than in the Tweet itself – meaning users will no longer see a heap of @usernames at the start of Tweets, when talking to multiple people in conversation threads. Furthermore, by tapping on ‘replying to’, users will be able to see and control who’s part of a conversation.

The improvement is rolling out to Twitter.com, as well as its Android and iOS apps.

“It’s now easier to follow a conversation, so you can focus on what a discussion is about, and who is having it. Also, with all 140 characters for your replies, you have more room to participate in group conversations,” said Sasank Reddy, product manager at Twitter, in a blog post.

“Our work isn’t finished – we’ll continue to think about how we can improve conversations and make Twitter easier to use.”

This latest update adds to the changes made by Twitter back in September which saw photos, videos, GIFs, polls, and quote Tweets, no longer counting toward the 140-character limit.