Twitter's disappearing tweets feature is disappearing

(Image credit: JOSH EDELSON/AFP via Getty Images)

published 14 July 2021

Fleets, Twitter's feature that lets users post disappearing tweets, is disappearing less than a year after it debuted.

Twitter announced Wednesday it's shutting down Fleets, posts that only stay online for 24 hours similar to Snapchat Stories, due to low usage, The Verge reports.

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But Twitter's vice president of product, Ilya Brown, said Wednesday that while "we hoped Fleets would help more people feel comfortable joining the conversation on Twitter," Twitter hasn't "seen an increase in the number of new people joining the conversation with Fleets like we hoped." The feature is mostly being "used by people who are already tweeting to amplify their own tweets and talk directly with others," Brown added.

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Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.

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