On Wednesday, microblogging site Twitter launched a new feature for some users. This allows users to post a 140-second long audio tweet, along with the 280 characters as text. A limited number of people in the US can now record audio snippets and attach those to tweets.
Each voice Tweet captures up to 140 seconds of audio. To recall, Twitter originally had 140-charecter limit for tweets, which was later increased to 280. "Have more to say? Keep talking. Once you reach the time limit for a (textual) Tweet, a new voice Tweet starts automatically to create a thread. Once you're done, tap the Done button to end your recording and go back to the composer screen to Tweet," said the company.
Audio can only be added to original tweets and the users can't include those in replies or retweets with a comment. "Sometimes 280 characters aren't enough and some conversational nuances are lost in translation. So starting today, we're testing a new feature that will add a more human touch to the way we use Twitter – your very own voice," said Twitter.
Tweeting with your voice is not too different from Tweeting with text. To start, open the Tweet composer and tap the new icon with wavelengths.
You'll see your profile photo with the record button at the bottom – tap this to record your voice. People will see your voice Tweet appear on their timeline alongside other Tweets.
"To listen, tap the image. On iOS only, playback will start in a new window docked at the bottom of your timeline and you can listen as you scroll," informed Twitter. You can also keep listening while doing other things on your phone or on the go.
Twitter hopes that voice Tweeting will create a more human experience for listeners and storytellers alike.
*Edited from an IANS report