How Twitter Fleets worked?
Between November 2020 and August 2021, all mobile Twitter users had access to the disappearing messaging feature, which was on top of the timeline in a row of Stories-like bubbles.
Fleets allowed users to share text, respond to others' tweets, or post videos with familiar background colors and text options - and every message disappeared after 24 hours. Users could also respond to others' fleets by tapping on one and sending a direct message to the creator.
How could you post Fleets?
During the feature's short run, you will see a plus button on the row that sits above your Twitter timeline. You would tap the plus button to start a fleet. Either typing up to 280 characters of text or adding photos, GIFs, or videos. When you post your fleet, it will appear in that row alongside other Fleets from those you follow, with the most recent visible first. Disappearing after 24 hours.
How could you react to Fleets?
Although you couldn't like or retweet a fleet, you could respond to Fleets with reaction emojis - just like you can respond to tweets in direct messages. Like on Instagram Stories, you could also reply with text, opening up a natural message thread with the person you're messaging.
Why did Twitter kill Fleets?
Twitter kicked things off in 2020 with a small test in Italy, Brazil, India, and South Korea. On 17 November 2020, it announced the global launch of Fleets.
At launch, Mo Aladham, a Twitter group product manager, described Fleets in a blog post:""Twitter is for having conversations about what you care about. But, some of you tell us that Youree is uncomfortable tweeting because tweets are public, feel permanent, and have public counts (retweets and likes). We want to make it possible for you to have conversations in new ways with less pressure and more control beyond tweets and direct messages. That's why starting today in Brazil, we're testing Fleets, a new way to start conversations from your fleeting thoughts""
In practice, Twitterdidn'tt saw the adoption it had hoped for from the feature. So instead, opted to go back to the drawing board, looking for new ways to engage with non-existing Twitter users.
Twitter Consumer Product VP Ilya Brown said in a blog post""If we're not evolving our approach and winding down features every once in a while –we're not taking a big enough chance""
Not long after the launch of Fleets, Twitter began to focus on its Clubhouse-like feature, Spaces. The Spaces feature is still live to this day, but we wonder if it will face a similar fate soon.
See Also: TikTok Gets another Ban.