Twitter has now made it possible for all users of the platform to compose and publish tweets as long as 280 characters.
Since its 2006 launch, Twitter has limited posts to 140 characters, though over the years it has made it possible to add content such as links, photos, and hashtags without chewing up the character count.
Twitter has been testing the longer tweet length since September and says only 9% of tweets ever reach 140 characters, while just 1% reach the full 280 characters.
Part of the reasoning, explained Twitter in September, is to allow some languages more opportunity for expression. For example, Japanese Twitter users are able to say more in fewer characters due to the way Japanese is written.
“We expanded the 140 character limit so every person around the world could express themselves easily in a Tweet,” said Aliza Rosen, Twitter product manager. “Our goal was to make this possible while ensuring we keep the speed and brevity that makes Twitter, Twitter. Looking at all the data, we’re excited to share we’ve achieved this goal and are rolling the change out to all languages where cramming was an issue.”
The change is available on Twitter.com and will eventually reach mobile and desktop apps.
