Skip to main content

Twitter has finally gotten around to launching its ‘Highlights’ feature for iOS

Twitter
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Twitter is currently rolling out a new feature for iOS that Android users have been enjoying for the last 18 months. Well, better late than never, eh.

“Highlights” is touted as a “fast and simple summary … of the best stuff that is most relevant to you,” and is delivered via push notifications – up to two a day – to your phone.

When you receive a Highlights notification, a single tap takes you directly to the Twitter app, which is where you’ll find your Highlights displayed in a slideshow-style interface. You can work your way through them by swiping from right to left. When you hit the final Highlight in the list, the next swipe takes you directly to your regular timeline.

Twitter’s algorithm builds Highlights by examining the accounts and conversations of people you follow, as well as tweets from people you’ve interacted with in the past. It also looks at “topics and events that are trending in your area or within your network, and people that are popular or trending among people you follow.”

Yes, the feature is a neat way for Twitter to remind you that it still exists, and to prompt you to open the app again, though users, too, should find it useful as a daily summary of (hopefully) interesting content that’s landing on the microblogging service.

Take note, though – this is an opt-in feature. If you fancy taking it for a spin, open the app, tap on the Me tab bottom right, then hit the “gear” icon. Tap Settings, then Notifications, and then Mobile Notifications. Next to Highlights, drag the slider to turn the feature on. “You’ll receive push notifications when your Highlights are available,” Twitter says. “Slide the notification to open your Twitter app and view your Highlights timeline.”

If you’re an Android user yet to try Highlights, you can set it up by first tapping your either your navigation menu icon or your profile icon. Next, tap on Notifications, then Mobile Notifications, and then check the box next to Highlights.

If you don’t have the time to sift through all the dross on your timeline posted by people you started following on a whim – and you haven’t gotten around to unfollowing them yet – then Highlights, similar to Twitter’s While You Were Away feature, could be one way to help you find some of the more interesting content on the service.

Let us know in the comments what you think of Highlights, and whether it’s managing to turn up some decent content.

Editors' Recommendations

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
We now know when Apple is adding RCS to the iPhone
The iPhone 14 Plus held in a man's hand.

Last November, Apple made a surprise announcement when it confirmed that RCS was coming to the iPhone in 2024. It's something iPhone and Android phone users alike have been waiting years for, but there was just one small problem: Apple never said when in 2024 RCS was coming. Thanks to Google, of all companies, we now have a better idea of when RCS is heading to the iPhone.

As spotted by 9to5Google, the Android website was recently updated with a new page dedicated to Google Messages. If you click on the "See more features" button for the section talking about RCS, there's a section titled "Better messaging for all" with the following text: "Apple has announced it will be adopting RCS in the fall of 2024. Once that happens, it will mean a better messaging experience for everyone."

Read more
iOS 18 could make my iPhone look like Android, and I hate it
The Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max and the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra's rear panels.

If rumors are to be believed, iOS 18 will allow you to customize the home screen on your iPhone more substantially than ever before. This feature will be familiar to Android phone owners, but I don’t want my iPhone to look like an Android phone.

It’s a weird double-edged sword, as by giving you more freedom to make the home screen look unique, iOS may also lose what makes it unique compared to the less constrained world of Android.
iOS 18 and your iPhone home screen

Read more
iOS 18 could add a customization feature I’ve waited years for
iOS 17 interactive widgets on an iPhone 15 Pro Max.

iOS 18 is coming later this year, and all signs point to it being a dramatic iPhone update. Now, thanks to one new report, it looks like iOS 18 could add a customization feature I've been waiting years and years and years for: better home screen customization.

According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, iOS 18 will introduce a "more customizable" home screen. More specifically, iOS 18 will allow you to place app icons and widgets anywhere you want. If you want a space or break between an app icon or your widget, welcome to the future: iOS 18 may finally let you do that. MacRumors corroborated this report with its own sources, too.

Read more