If you’re a regular Twitterer, you’d know the platform only allows users to attach only one type of media format in a tweet. That is, it is impossible to combine a video and picture in a single tweet.
Twitter says this has changed, with a new way to share different types of visual content — videos, images, and GIFs — together in a single Tweet.
“You can now add a combination of media to your Tweet on Android and iOS. That means you can include a photo, GIF, and video (or two!) all in the same Tweet. Tap the photo icon in the Tweet composer to start mixing your media,” says the Social media giant in a post on Wednesday.
Also, the company says you can add up to four videos, images, and/or GIFs per Tweet. When composing a tweet like you normally would, all you have to do is tap the Media or GIF icons and select the content you want to share.
Let’s say you want to share content based on a beach vacation, an important announcement, or even your special interest.
Just tap the Media icon to add a photo and a video — or two pictures or two videos, if you prefer — and then tap GIF to add a GIF that best represents the context of what you’re sharing with your audience. However make sure you add ALT text to your media to make them accessible for people who use screen readers.
Having the ability to post images, videos, and GIFs on Twitter is not something new as this is a premium option to Twitter Blue subscribers. The company however notes, “the feature will roll out globally to iOS and Android, with a chance to see mixed media Tweets on the web.”
9to5Mac also noted in a report that the Social Media giant had been slowly rolling out this feature to a small group of users since July.
Instagram has a similar feature that lets people post pictures and videos within the same post, but viewers have to swipe across to see the other media types. Mixed-media tweets, on the other hand, let you see all of the media types at once.
It’s been a busy week at Twitter, we’ve seen the platform begin trialling the edit button, and it would appear that Elon Musk is proceeding with his buyout, too.
This week also saw the social media giant roll-out two new video features to increase the viewing experience on the platform. These new products are a result of the increased traction that videos are getting on social media platforms.
