Twitter is testing “CoTweets”, a feature that lets users co-author tweets

Social media giant, Twitter, is testing a new feature, named “CoTweets”, which allows users co-author tweets and both be tagged in a single tweet.

We had reported in March 2022 that the micro-blogging platform was indeed working on a Twitter collaboration feature which is similar to Instagram’s Collab feature, where you can invite another account to be a collaborator from the tagging screen on Instagram.

It was first spotted by mobile app developer Alessandro Paluzzi in December 2021, when he shared references he found in the code that showed Twitter was working on a means for two users to become co-authors of a single tweet, which led to the discovery of the “Collaborations” feature.

Twitter has given access to select accounts in the US, Canada, and Korea to test the feature.

“We’re continuing to explore new ways for people to collaborate on Twitter,” a spokesperson for Twitter said. “We’re testing CoTweets for a limited time to learn how people and brands may use this feature to grow and reach new audiences, and strengthen their collaborations with other accounts.”

This feature was confirmed in a tweet from the Twitter Create account. This FAQ has more information on how it works and what it’s capable of.

The FAQ tells a lot more about CoTweets:

What’s a CoTweet?

A CoTweet is a co-authored Tweet that’s posted simultaneously to both authors’ profiles and their followers’ timelines. You’ll recognize a CoTweet when you see two authors’ profile pictures and usernames in the header. CoTweets help authors share the spotlight, unlock opportunities for engaging new audiences, and enhance their established partnerships.

How do CoTweets work?

When two authors decide to CoTweet, the first step is to finalize the content they’d like to share. We recommend using Direct Messages to collaborate. 

Once the messaging is ready, one author creates the CoTweet and initiates an invite to the co-author. When the co-author accepts the CoTweet invitation, the CoTweet immediately posts to each author’s profile and both of their followers’ timelines.  

How do you draft a CoTweet?

Open the Tweet composer. Add the co-authored messaging and tap the CoTweet icon. Select a co-author from your follower list and tap Send invite.

Note that you can send CoTweet invites to people that follow you and have public accounts. If the person accepts the invite, the CoTweet posts to each author’s profile and both of their followers’ timelines.  However, If the CoTweet invite is declined, the CoTweet invite is deleted. 

For now, you cannot CoTweet with multiple people in one tweet. Since only two authors can appear on a CoTweet’s header at once, you can only invite one co-author per CoTweet.

It is not stated how long the testing will last but Twitter says it may turn off this feature and any CoTweets that were created may be removed, at the end of this experiment.