Well, it took Twitter long enough. Back in October, the popular micro blogging platform announced that it is already testing a feature called Explore, which was touted as a potential replacement to its Moments.
The official rollout for Explore finally happened last Jan. 26. In a blog post the company has pointed out that nothing went away and that the interface only got a bit more centralized and user friendly.
Better Twitter Interface
The entire idea boils down to a desire to aggregate different contents under one Explore tab. Interestingly, Twitter's talking point when Explore was first introduced was that it will be lumping trending topics with Moments and other information such as accounts that users can follow.
The latest announcement, however, included a number of features that have not been mentioned before. These include the integration of the Search and the best of live video features.
"During our research process, people told us that the new Explore tab helped them easily find news, what's trending, and what's popular right now," Angela Lam, product designer at Twitter, explained.
Where To Find Twitter Explore
If you have updated the Twitter app, you should be able to find that Moments is no more. In its place is ever so slightly bigger magnifying glass icon that used to represent the Search feature on the top right corner of the Home panel.
When this is tapped you will be greeted by a dedicated Search box on the topmost part. It is followed by Trending topics and Moments in what appears to be a card-like layout. The latter's placement had some wondering whether Twitter is deemphasizing this feature.
It is not yet clear if some of the now-defunct Discover features will be ported to the Explore tab. The former was replaced by Moments before Explore finally took over. Its most notable content involved suggested Twitter accounts that users can follow.
There is also the possibility that Explore will meet its demise sometime in the future to make way for another interface tweak. That is not going to be surprising given the number of makeovers Twitter has undergone in the past several months.
These changes can be attributed to the way Twitter is moving to engage users and monetize its platform amid signs of financial struggle.
Staggered Twitter Update
At this point, it appears that the rollout will be staggered as demonstrated by the absence of a specific release schedule.
"Very soon, you'll be able to find trends, Moments, search, and the best of live video, all within the new Explore tab," Lam said.
The update has first been made available to iOS users but Twitter promised Android users that Explore will also be heading their way in the coming weeks.
