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Instagram finally lets you edit DMs
Meta just announced a software update for Instagram that finally lets users edit DMs within 15 minutes of being sent. There’s also a new tool to pin three of your favorite conversations at the top of your DM feed.
Twitter DM search now works the way you'd expect
Twitter now lets you search DMs for specific messages using keywords and names.
Clubhouse unveils its new 'Backchannel' DM feature
On Wednesday, the company announced that the Clubhouse app will now support DMs in the form of the new Backchannel messaging feature.
Slack tweaks its new DM feature after people call out its harassment potential
The company is now disabling the option to send someone a message with an invite to chat after several individuals how easy it was to abuse that functionality.
Slack Connect now lets you DM people outside your work bubble
Slack has unveiled a Connect feature that lets you DM virtually anyone, even if they're outside your company — helpful in the work-from-home era.
Twitter's new DM feature puts a chat box in the browser
Twitter may look different the next time you visit its website on a PC. The social network has started rolling out a docked Direct Messaging box that sits right on top of your timeline, similar to Facebook’s or LinkedIn’s. It makes communicating via Twitter’s DMs feel more like typing into an instant messaging chatbox and eliminates the need to jump back and forth between your timeline and your private conversations. Based on a previous report by Jane Manchun Wong, who’s known for excavating apps to look for hidden features, Twitter has been testing the feature since April at the very least.
Instagram offers access to DMs on the web
Instagram on the web has long played second fiddle to the mobile apps (look at how long it took to get notifications), but that gap is about to narrow considerably. The social network is rolling out direct messages on the web to a "small percentage" of users worldwide as part of a public test following internal experiments in 2019. Much like on your phone, you can participate in regular and group chats, share photos, 'like' messages and receive notifications. More news on a possible wider release is coming in the future, Instagram told The Verge.
Twitter outage takes down Tweetdeck, affects images and DMs
Be nice to any journalists you see on Twitter right now -- Tweetdeck is down and it's a headache for everyone. While the company has said it's aware of issues and investigating, problems have also hit regular users, who aren't seeing new DMs at the moment, or may have trouble adding extra stuff to tweets like images, videos and polls. In a tweet, the company said it's working on a fix and that things "should be back to normal soon."
Twitter's DM search is available for all iOS users
Twitter is continuing its streak of releasing features it teased in August. The internet giant is rolling out its previously-tested direct message search to iOS users. You only have to type in a search box to recall the restaurant you were supposed to visit. Keywords apply to user names, informal names and the content of messages, so it should be easy to narrow DMs to those from a close friend.
Twitter rolls out filter for potentially offensive DMs
Twitter is quickly acting on plans to filter potentially offensive direct messages. It's rolling out the filter to all users on Android, iOS and the web. As during the test, there isn't much mystery to how this works. If a message contains questionable language or is likely spam, it'll be tucked away in an "additional messages" folder. You'll only see the colorful language if you explicitly tap on a message in that folder. You won't have to put up with DM harassers if you'd rather just carry on with your day.
Twitter starts testing DM searches
It didn't take long for Twitter to make direct message searches a practical reality after teasing them -- though you'll need a little luck to give them a try. The social network has begun testing a DM search bar in its iOS app and the web. It'll only sift through your "most recent" DMs, but that might be enough if you're trying to remember where you agreed to meet for a night out.
Twitter is finally working on search for DMs
Twitter isn't just launching a deluge of tests -- it just announced that a few sought-after features in the pipeline. Most notably, it's developing a long-overdue search for direct messages. Although there aren't many specifics at this point, it's reasonable to say this will spare you from digging through a conversation to find a crucial message from days ago. The social network added that it's "re-energizing" its work on DMs, so this is really just the highlight of a larger strategy.
Instagram's latest Stories sticker is a direct link to group chats
Instagram is introducing a new feature that will let users start private group messages around specific Stories. The company announced the change on Twitter today. Users will soon be able to add a "join chat" sticker to their Stories. If followers tap the sticker, they'll be added to a private group chat -- though the author will have the ability to approve or deny requests.
Twitter can keep copies of your deleted DMs for years
Twitter might still have copies of your DMs saved in its system even if it's been years since you deactivated your account. Security researcher Karan Saini told TechCrunch that he found years-old messages in an archive of his Twitter data -- which you can request from Twitter itself under the Settings menu -- even if they were from accounts that had been deleted or suspended. The publication has confirmed Saini's report by looking through an archive and finding a conversation with a suspended account from way back in March 2016.
Instagram adds status markers to your DM list
Instagram started telling you when your friends were active in the direct message list last January. Now the photo-centric social network is expanding the feature with a new green dot to indicate who is online and active.
Twitter relaxes the rules for customer service DMs
Twitter's bot crackdown is great for improving the quality of the service, but might make it harder for businesses to use it effectively. That's why the company is tweaking its system to enable companies to better deal with bulk communications. In the future, you shouldn't be waiting as long for a response from your favorite airline / cable provider, unless of course they're just ignoring you.
Customer service on Twitter now includes location sharing
Twitter is one way to easily get some customer service. A simple tweet can often get a faster response than finding a customer support number or using email. The social network has a new feature to make support even more personal: Brands can now request and share location data with users via direct messages.
Twitter built and cancelled a messaging app
For years, it's been rumored that Twitter is working on a standalone messaging app. Direct Messages, or DMs, are certainly popular with some of the service's most dedicated users. According to BuzzFeed News, a messenger app was in development as recently as September -- but its form was a little different than you might expect. It packaged tweets and new "instant messages" around particular topics -- a news story or a football team, for instance -- which were set by chosen "influencers." They were threads, essentially, similar to Reddit or Slack where groups could chat.
TfL slides into your Twitter DMs with weekend travel updates
In an extension to its partnership with Twitter, Transport for London (TfL) has announced a new pilot that will send a direct message every Thursday that will warn of weekend closures and maintenance on the city's travel routes.
Twitter adds DM share button to iOS and Android
If you're a fan of secretly sharing tweets with your friends via DM, today's your lucky day. The Twitter apps for iOS and Android are being updated with a dedicated Message button for quicker sharing.
