Twitter users received terrible news. The social media company announced that it would discontinue its video-based apps for three significant third-party platforms.
The Affected Platforms
The social media company's support team announced on Tuesday, May 22 that it would be discontinuing service for three platforms. Twitter for Roku, Twitter for Android TV, and Twitter for Xbox would all become obsolete on Thursday, May 24. Twitter recommended that users should head to Twitter's website using their devices or desktops for the complete experience.
One reason why the three apps will be discontinued on May 24 is due to internal causes. For all three TV-based apps to continue to function, Twitter would have to need to update the software to meet the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation, which begins on May 25. Another factor was that both Roku and Xbox do not have a supported video player, which makes maintenance jobs difficult.
Poorly Rated, What's Saved, And Programming Notes
Customers poorly rated all three Twitter apps. Twitter for Xbox received an abysmal one and one-half stars out of possible five stars. Users claimed that while the Xbox app allowed scrolling tweets, it failed to give users complete access to the social media app.
Both Twitter for Android TV and Twitter for Roku received mediocre reviews. While the Twitter for Android TV app obtained two out of five stars, Roku's version was awarded three and a half stars. The only third-party Twitter platforms that would continue are Twitter for Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV. The announcement follows Twitter's presentation at the 2018 Digital Content NewFronts, where it revealed that it received commitments from NBCUniversal, Disney/ESPN, and Viacom to launch new video content.
Twitter Update
Twitter reached out to all users and strongly advised them to change their passwords. It acknowledged that a bug exposed all user passwords. The company did not reveal how many passwords were compromised or how long the bug was active before Twitter employees identified it.
It was rumored that Twitter was working on a feature that might remind users of Snapchat's location-based Snap collections. Reports say that this rumored product would incorporate location-based photos, Twitter moments, and notable events. Also, it would allow advertisers to showcase products in between the pictures and video tweets.
Earlier this year, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey revealed to his followers that the company had a massive troll problem and were looking for solutions. Dorsey noted Twitter would not allow harassment, misinformation campaigns, and troll armies to drive away users. He stated that they would also try to improve Twitter's conversational health. Dorsey also encouraged users to apply for job openings to help the company find solutions.
Tech Times reached out to Twitter for a comment on this story.
