Twitter ends support for its Mac application

By Eric Brackett Published February 17, 2018

After years of less than ideal support, Twitter has announced that it will be killing off its Mac application. The company sent out a tweet saying that it had pulled the app from Apple’s App Store and the web. Support for the Twitter for Mac app will end in 30 days, the company said.

We’re focusing our efforts on a great Twitter experience that’s consistent across platforms. So, starting today the Twitter for Mac app will no longer be available for download, and in 30 days will no longer be supported.

— Twitter Support (@TwitterSupport) February 16, 2018

Prior to the app’s removal, it had a score of 1.7 out of 5, highlighting the fact that many users found the application to be frustrating. Twitter’s support for the app was never strong even in the best of times. It took more than seven months for Moments to arrive on the desktop app. Furthermore, Twitter did not even develop the app itself. In 2015, it was reported that the company outsourced the project to Seattle-based Black Pixel.

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Those seeking an application to help them manage their Twitter account have likely already moved on to alternative services such as Tweetdeck or Tweetbot.

Despite the application’s lackluster reputation, the news was met with frustration and disappointment from some fans.

Unbelievable. Mac users want a native app, not a web interface. If you’re worried about consistency, update the app, don’t kill it!

— Victor Barger (@vabarger) February 16, 2018

Oh come on. The Twitter app for Mac is nice. Please tell me there will be continued support for third party. I want a rich app experience, not a browser tab.

— Scotty J. (@applegui) February 16, 2018

Terrible news. The browser experience is nowhere near enough to replace a good App. So you should provide even more features via the API so that good applications like @tweetbot and @Twitterrific continue to provide the best experience that exists in the use of Twitter.

— Antonio Fonseca  (@antoniofonseca) February 16, 2018

Despite these complaints, it is unlikely that Twitter will roll back this decision. The slow update history and general lack of support suggest that Twitter believes a Mac desktop app simply isn’t a major priority for the company.

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