Twitter animated GIF button being tested on selected users
The feature has been warmly received by the lucky users picked to test it
Twitter has begun testing a button on its mobile app dedicated to posting animated GIFs.
GIFs, along with cat pictures and stupid polls are the new currency of Twitter, but posting them isn't very easy.
Now, users with access to the button are reporting that tapping it brings up a selection of ready-made GIFs, separated into categories according to what they depict, in the same way that apps like GIF Keyboard work.
Twitter has introduced a number of interface tweaks recently, unexpectedly changing the colour of the retweet button for no apparent reason and making tweets pop up into new timeline windows when you click on them.
These changes haven't really been welcomed by the community, but the reaction to the built-in GIF library has been very positive indeed.
The site continues to face disruption following the resignations of a number of high-ranking executives and an endless stream of hype about the supposed 'death' of the platform. Fortunately for Twitter, the GIF button has earned them some rare praise.
The new feature is currently being tested on a small group of users. There's no indication yet of when (or if) it'll roll out to everyone.
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