Twitter finally starts rolling out its edit button

Twitter has finally started rolling out its most requested feature – the ability to edit tweets.

The social media platform has announced the Edit Button is now appearing for Twitter Blue users in three countries – Canada, Australia and New Zealand – giving them a chance to fix typos and make corrections. 

Twitter Blue is the platform’s $2.99-per-month subscription service that gives access to exclusive features. 

This means Twitter users who aren’t subscribed to Blue won’t get access to Edit Button, although the tool could get a wider rollout in the future. 

Twitter Blue is not available in the UK, so Brits will have to wait longer before they can edit their tweets. 

Twitter announced earlier this year that it would be bringing the Edit Button to Twitter Blue, and started testing it with a small group of users in September. 

After the successful test, it’s finally getting a rollout in the three countries.   

‘Edit Tweet is now rolling out to Twitter Blue members in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand!,’ Twitter Blue’s official account posted. 

‘We’re excited to continue expanding this test to new markets – can’t wait to hear what you think!’ 

Twitter said a rollout of the Edit Button in the US is ‘coming soon’. MailOnline has contacted Twitter about when Twitter Blue (and Edit Button) will come to the UK.

Edit Button lets users edit their tweets up to five times in the 30 minutes after posting. 

Edited tweets are marked with a little pen symbol, so it’s clear to all Twitter users that the original tweet has been modified. 

Users are also able to view previous versions of the tweet, creating a publicly accessible record of what was said and protecting ‘the integrity of the conversation’, according to Twitter. 

As an example, Twitter user Owen Williams (@ow) edited his tweet so it read: ‘did i pay for twitter blue just so i could edit this tweet? yes.’

By clicking on the tweet, users are able to see the edit history. In this case, Williams’ original tweet was lyrics from Rick Astley’s 1987 smash hit ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’.

In a blog post last month, Twitter said Edit Button is its ‘most requested feature to date’, but it seems not all users think it’s a good idea. 

Twitter user @jonkudelka posted: ‘Twitter with an edit function = absolute pandemonium and I am 100% here for it.’ 

Meanwhile @keano81 posted: ‘Twitter edit function is the end of days. And no, I’m not being dramatic. You are unprepared for the havoc this will cause.’  

One of the potential problems with letting users edit their tweets is that they could change the content of their post once it has been heavily endorsed by likes and retweets.

This could lead to unimaginable confusion and misinformation, which is something social media platforms strive to avoid in the era of fake news. 

Twitter’s blog post also pointed out that Twitter Blue subscribers receive early access to features so that the company can test them before they’re more widely rolled out on, suggesting the Edit Button might come to the free version of Twitter. 

Twitter Blue was created in an effort to attract more people and increase revenue, spearheaded by former CEO Jack Dorsey.

Dorsey, who stepped down as Twitter CEO last November, had been adamant for years that an Edit Button wouldn’t come to Twitter. 

It was thought Twitter was influenced by Elon Musk, who in April polled his Twitter followers about the creation of an edit button. 

At the time, Musk was seeking to buy Twitter and had become the largest single shareholder in the social network. 

Twitter’s new CEO, Parag Agrawal, retweeted Musk’s poll with the words: ‘The consequences of this poll will be important. Please vote carefully.’