News

Twitter gets a facelift in biggest profile overhaul to date

Twitter has undergone its largest visual overhaul to date, having unveiled a new look for Twitter profiles in a bid to create a “more meaningful” Twitter presence for its users.  

Twitter users can now upload a header photo to their profile, similar to Facebook’s cover photo, which sits above a user’s tweets and will appear whenever someone views a user’s profile on Twitter.com as well as on mobile apps for iPhone, Android and iPad.

In addition, photo streams will now appear below a user’s most recent tweets on iPhone, Android and iPad. Users can swipe through the stream to see photos shared by other users, with the option of viewing the photos in fullscreen mode.

“New profiles help you get to know people better through their pictures,” wrote Twitter product manager Sachin Agarwal, in a blog post. “While the header photo keeps your profile simple and consistent on iPhone, iPad and Android, you will also still have an additional photo – a background photo – on twitter.com. Upload a background image to complement your header and profile photos.”

The @TodayShow, some of its anchors, @RyanSeacrest and NBC news accounts such as @BreakingNews are among the first to test out the new profiles.

In addition to the new look profile, Twitter has unveiled a series of updates to its Android and iPhone apps, and has completely rebuilt its iPad app to put a greater focus on photos and personalise the experience for users.

Jenni Baker, London