Twitter Inc. has started testing a new feature with a select number of users that will make it possible to restrict others’ ability to reply to a tweet.

The limited pilot could be a prelude to the company making the setting available to everyone on its platform. However, experimental Twitter features don’t always make it to general availability.

The reply restriction setting takes the form of a new link at the bottom of the tweet authoring box. When clicked, the link brings up a panel that gives the users three options for who can reply: Everyone, People You Follow and Only People You Mention. If one of the last two options is selected, Twitter will display a label on the restricted thread so users can clearly see why they’re unable to participate.

Twitter members who don’t receive access to a conversation can still view it. Other standard sharing features are enabled as well, including the ability to retweet tweets, retweet with comment and Like them. 

Testing, testing…

A new way to have a convo with exactly who you want. We’re starting with a small % globally, so keep your 👀 out to see it in action. pic.twitter.com/pV53mvjAVT

— Twitter (@Twitter) May 20, 2020

“Being able to participate and understand what’s happening is key for useful public conversation,” Suzanne Xie, Twitter’s director of product management, explained in a blog post today. “So, we’re exploring how we can improve these settings to give people more opportunities to weigh in while still giving people control over the conversations they start.”

The setting to restrict replies is currently available to a “limited group of people globally” across the web, iOS and Android versions of Twitter. It’s one of several experimental features the social network is testing. Earlier this month, Twitter previewed a new threaded layout for replies aimed at making threads with many participants easier to navigate.

Arguably the boldest experimental feature the social network has introduced in recent memory is the Fleets self-deleting tweet format. Currently undergoing testing in Brazil, Fleets appear above the user’s main timeline inside a separate interface section and disappear after 24 hours. The feature is Twitter’s attempt to create its spin on the self-deleting message format popularized by Snap Inc., which has also been replicated by Facebook Inc. in WhatsApp and more recently by LinkedIn as well. 

Photo: Unsplash