Twitterfor iOS

Twitter may be a one-of-a-kind microblogging platform but there are no shortages of third-party apps to go with it. While it might be tempting to brush off the original, general Twitter users should give the official iPhone Twitter app a chance.

Globally popular social network

Twitter tweets on iPhone

With more than 326 million people using Twitter every month, and 80% of Twitter users accessing the site via mobile phone, it’s no wonder there are a multitude of ways to access the globally popular social networking site. While it might be tempting to brush off the original, general Twitter users should give the official iPhone Twitter app a chance.

Twitter for iPhone offers the same bright screen and feed style you’re used to. The learning curve is a slim one. You’ll need to swipe the screen to find your way around the app features.

After signing in, the screen switches to your home feed. Recent tweets, ads, and tweets Twitter believes fit your preferences will fill the screen as on the web version. Cat videos abound. Twitter may not always get related tweets right, but the relevancy aspect will improve over time.

As with the official, web-based Twitter feed, your iPhone app for Twitter will apprise you of the latest tweets. As you browse the Twitter home feed, you’ll notice a “see new tweets” prompt floating near the top of your phone’s screen.

You can choose to ignore the hovering reminder to continue scrolling and reading down your feed. You can’t get rid of the button, but at least it hovers near the top of the screen, semi out of the way.

Get up to date feeds

Each time you open the app, your Twitter feed will update and move you back to the top of your home feed. When you close and open the Twitter app again, you’ll lose your place. You’ll find yourself swiping down until you can return to the point where you left off. If you have a lot of chatty followers, it could prove frustrating.

Ready for a home feed update? Tap the button for a Twitter feed reload. Twitter populates home feeds with tweets, retweets, and plenty of sponsored, ad-related tweets. It’s annoying. Unfortunately, you won’t find a premium Twitter iPhone app upgrade to remove those junky tweets and ads. The only way to ditch the sponsored posts and clear your stream is to turn to third-party iOS apps like Twitterrific 5 or Tweetbot 3. Click a tweet to open up your retweet, like, and reply options.

Managing multiple Twitter accounts is possible with any of the apps, including the official Twitter app. You’ll never need to deal with the hassle of signing in and out. Even so, TweetDeck has long been the multi-account favorite due to its TweetConfirmation function. Before sending a tweet into the wild, you have to tick a box before you post. You will never tweet from the wrong account again.

But, the official Twitter app does offer exclusive features like group direct messages and instant notifications. It’s a nice perk and it's free.

App security

Twitter doesn’t have a history of playing nice with third-party apps. If (or when) Twitter decides to change the API, other apps aren’t always able to keep up. That goes for security too.

If a problem arises, an official app like Twitter will always be the fastest at sending out updates and fixes. Choosing the Twitter iPhone app, and keeping it updated, can help to keep your Twitter account safe from hackers, bugs, or other problems.

Where can you run this program?

Access Twitter from the official Twitter app for a fuss-free, always compatible option. The official Twitter app works with your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and Apple TV. It requires iOS 11.0 or later. As long as you have data and WiFi, you can keep tweeting.

Is there a better alternative?

Not everyone is in love with the basic Twitter iOS app. Twitter power users may clamor for more features, like nicer multi-feed views, an ad-free viewing experience, and theme changes (other than a switch from light to dark). Meet Twitterrific 5 and TweetDeck for Twitter. These apps offer custom alternatives for everything from font to appearance, image thumbnails, and more.

Need to fix a typo? Twitterrific 5 for Twitter’s “swipe to move the cursor” feature makes editing a breeze. Trending news and promoted tweets no longer occupy your home feed’s prime real estate. The downside? To get those functions, you have to pay for it. But, the “muffling” function may be worth it. When you can’t take another twerking video from your Aunt Sarah, Twitterific’s muffling lets you hide hashtags, keywords, links, and even certain users from your timeline (without the obvious unfollowing).

TweetDeck, with its horizontal layout and vertical tweets, has long been a popular Twitter app. Since TweetDeck’s acquisition by Twitter, you know it will maintain its updated and secure status for as long as its active. Unlike the other iPhone apps, TweetDeck has tweet scheduling so you can plan ahead for busy days or vacations. It’s also free.

Our take

The official Twitter app may not seem as sexy as a third-party app, but the boatload of features and consistency make this the Twitter iPhone app to download.

Should you download it?

Yes, download the Twitter for iPhone app. Basic users shouldn’t bypass this free app in exchange for a third-party app, not when you have the features you need baked in. Power Twitter users should look elsewhere.