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Twitter mistakenly tells all iOS users they can limit tweet replies (updated)

The company says the details were "accidentally pushed release notes.

Marten Bjork, Unsplash

Update 3:54PM ET: Not so fast. Twitter confirmed to The Verge that the company mistakenly mentioned the reply limiting feature in “accidentally pushed release notes.” The feature that has been in testing still isn’t available to everyone on iOS just yet. Our full story from this morning is available below.

Several months after making a promise, Twitter finally lets some users limit who can reply to their tweets. As The Verge notes, the social network has updated its iOS app with options to restrict replies to tweets to people you follow, or only those you mention. It won’t be the default, but it could prevent strangers from butting into a conversation that you’d rather not take to direct messages.

We’ve asked Twitter how soon reply limiting will be available in Android. The controls were first available to test in May.

The ability to limit replies has mixed connotations. It could further reduce harassment and prevent uninvited clutter in your conversations. At the same time, it could also reinforce filter bubbles where users don’t get outside perspectives or otherwise interact with people beyond an immediate circle. It may also make some people seem unapproachable if they regularly exclude others. Still, this at least gives you a choice — you no longer have to assume the public can jut into your chats.