Twitter rolling out new feature: Usernames, GIFs, and media don’t count against character limit

Last week, The Verge reported that twitter was going to roll out an update that would change what makes up the 140-character count. Like clockwork, Twitter has officially announced (via Twitter) that it has indeed begun rolling out these changes.

@Usernames, photos, videos, GIFs, Vines, polls, and quote tweets will no longer count against your 140 character limit, giving users a little more room to work with when interacting with others or posting media on the micro-blogging site. It doesn’t say anything about links, however. Perhaps links won’t receive the same treatment as these other forms of media, or Twitter couldn’t fit it in its own 140-character tweet.

Say more about what's happening! Rolling out now: photos, videos, GIFs, polls, and Quote Tweets no longer count toward your 140 characters. pic.twitter.com/I9pUC0NdZC

— Twitter (@twitter) September 19, 2016

The update is still in the process of rolling out, so it may not have been updated for you right away. The update was a long-overdue one for Twitter as it continues to dominate as one of the most popular platforms for businesses, celebrities, artists, bloggers, and organizations.

What do you think of these new changes? Are you excited about saving those few extra characters? Or should Twitter have left the limit to exactly 140 characters, regardless of what is being tweeted?

Via