Just two days after Twitter rolled out its new Fleet function, the platform is struggling to keep up with user demand for its latest service, leading to mixed reviews across the platform.
"We're slowing down the roll-out of Fleets to fix some performance and stability problems," Twitter Support tweeted this morning.
"If you don’t have the feature yet, you may not get it for a few more days. We love that so many people are using Fleets and want to ensure we’re providing the best experience for everyone."
We’re slowing down the rollout of Fleets to fix some performance and stability problems. If you don’t have the feature yet, you may not get it for a few more days.
— Twitter Support (@TwitterSupport) November 19, 2020
We love that so many people are using Fleets and want to ensure we’re providing the best experience for everyone.
Taking their cues from Snapchat and Instagram stories, Fleets are tweets that disappear after 24 hours. The new function was rolled out in select markets on Tuesday, November 17, including India, Italy, South Korea and Japan, and had been available in Brazil since March. The icon appears at the top of users' timelines on the Twitter mobile app.
📣 Starting today, Fleets will be rolling out globally for everybody on Twitter! 🧵 pic.twitter.com/s7qxipVpVo
— Kayvon Beykpour (@kayvz) November 17, 2020
“Because they disappear from view after a day, Fleets helped people feel more comfortable sharing personal and casual thoughts, opinions, and feelings,” Twitter wrote in a blog post.
Fleets is useless. We have enough apps with stupid stories we're already NOT watching.
— 𝕋𝕙𝕚𝕔𝕜𝕚𝕖 𝕊𝕞𝕒𝕝𝕝𝕤 🦄✨ .💋 (@TheRealMzMack) November 19, 2020
Fleets, which can include text, video, photos and gifs, cannot be retweeted or liked and are not open to public replies. However, if your direct messages are open, anyone can react to your Fleet, whereas if your DMs are private, only your followers can see and react to them.
Reports from users that the update is lagging or even crashing the app have been taken as a sign of Fleet’s popularity, and the platform has said it is working on the problem.
Other users claim the function button has appeared in their app, but they are unable to use it.
Fleet or Story? pic.twitter.com/2u88cuus1G
— Jeff Wright (@JeffRightNoww) November 19, 2020
The hashtag #Fleet was trending globally soon after the international rollout, and the function appears to be Twitter’s reaction to accusations they have been trailing behind their tech contemporaries when it comes to innovation.
While plenty of users were thrilled with the latest addition to the app, many were lamenting Twitter still not adding an edit button.
If Facebook can provide an edit feature, Twitter can do it. So please, please, please give us an edit feature. Thank you.
— Erin Lynn (@TheRealErinLynn) November 19, 2020
Literally no one asked for this. All we wanted was an edit button
— #WearYourMask😷 (@DNH222) November 19, 2020
Elsewhere, Twitter announced this week their plans to take on audio-based social networking app, Clubhouse – which is still in private-testing phase – by checking their own audio spaces functions, which will allow for live conversations between two people or groups.
_______________
Read more:
10 of the funniest Twitter business accounts to follow: from Netflix to Old Spice
The impact of doomscrolling on mental health: 'Technology shapes user behaviour'
Donald Trump's ‘I won the election’ Twitter message sparks tweetstorm
_______________
