Twitter updates iOS and Android apps with new design, support for photo DMs

Twitter has released two major updates to its mobile app roster: Twitter 6.0 for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, and Twitter 5.0 for Android users.

Both apps sport a new design, and support photos in Direct Messages as well as targeted notifications. iOS users also gain an improved search tool and support for Safari’s Reading List.

The Twitter apps’ redesign sees Timelines become the predominant view. Users will find that Home, Activity and Discover views appear to be missing, but these are now accessed by swiping horizontally while in Timelines view. Surprisingly, this new look doesn’t extend to the iPad version, which sports a minor facelift involving some icons and headers for each section, but little else that looks different from the previous version.

The big new feature in both Android and iOS version is direct support for photos in Direct Messages, which is highlighted by the fact Messages now gains its own button on the tab bar. The feature, which allows users to send and receive photos via DM without a third-party service, is only supported by the official app due to the lack of an API, meaning friends using third-party apps will be able to receive photos, but not compose them (yet!) in return.

Another shared feature is the ability to filter notifications from your network, allowing users to only view replies, retweets and favorites from people they follow. Verified users can also filter responses to just fellow users with the blue tick. iPad users will find these preferences under their profile settings.

Twitter 6.0 for iOS also gains an improved search tool, which makes it easier to access tweets from people both followed and nearby directly from the search results. There’s also support for adding web links to Safari’s Reading List for viewing later.

iOS users also gain in-app notifications, making it easier to see when people have responded, either through direct message or by replying, favoriting or retweeting one of the user’s tweets.

Android users can now limit the push notification feature to specific users, simply by tapping the start next to their profile to add them as a favorite.

Both Twitter 6.0 for iPhone, iPad or iPod touch, and Twitter 5.0 for Android are available now as a free downloads via their respective app stores.

via BetaNews http://feeds.betanews.com/~r/bn/~3/TgRKgUNTBu0/