Twitter Tests Downvote Buttons on Replies - but Still No Edit Function

Social media website Twitter is reportedly testing a new downvote feature for tweet replies. The feature seems to be part of Twitter’s ongoing search for “conversational health,” as the feature will help the platform “understand the types of replies you find relevant in a convo, so we can work on ways to show more of them.”

The Verge reports that Twitter is working on new upvote and downvote reactions for tweet replies and had launched a trial for the feature among a small group of users on iOS. Multiple tweets from users that are part of the test group have highlighted the feature on the platform.

Twitter states that iOS users may see upvotes and downvotes in multiple styles, including up and down arrows, a heart icon and down arrow, and thumbs up and thumbs down icons. The platform says that it is testing the feature to “understand the types of replies you find relevant in a convo, so we can work on ways to show more of them.” Votes on tweets are currently not public.

The social media giant hasn’t said that it plans to add up and down voting as a permanent feature to the platform or how it will affect how content ranks in users’ news feeds. Many have compared the feature to Reddit which features upvoting and downvoting as a primary way of promoting favorite replies and posts on the platform.

Twitter has previously introduced similar types of tweet interactions in the past, including reactions that appeared to mimic the emoji reactions that Facebook uses for Facebook posts. Product Lead Kayvon Beykpour said that the company planned to work on dislikes last year, saying that the feature was “something we’re exploring” in response to a user’s tweet.