Huawei's iPhone Tweet

Twitter often will let you know which client or platform tweeted a specific tweet. Huawei, a popular Chinese smartphone company, tweeted its followers a happy new year recently. However, the tweet gained popularity when it was discovered the tweet was sent using an iPhone. The tweet was deleted and an internal memo regarding the tweet was leaked. As ironic as it is, it's not too big of a deal, but definitely an awkward moment for the company.

Image Credit: Marques Brownlee

Twitter Password Bug

Twitter is suggesting to its users that they change their passwords due to a bug that stored passwords in plain text on Twitter's internal servers. Before anyone freaks out, this is a precautionary step. There is no reason to believe your password is compromised. The password never left Twitter's internal servers. That being said, changing your password on Twitter and any account that used the same password is a helpful way to ensure security.

Apple Support YouTube Channel

After Apple created the Apple Support Twitter account in 2016, they complemented it with a YouTube channel. Apple has shown it will go to many lengths to stay relevant with social networks. They made a Tumblr page for the iPhone 5c and they have a Snapchat account. I just find it funny how they advertise the addition of YouTube (See embedded video below). Mostly because the YouTube app is shown, which literally violates every user interface design choice made by Apple. YouTube uses their own custom Material view, which is native to Android's user interface. So, in that way, it almost feels like they're advertising Android to some extent. Am I overthinking this? Probably. Anyways, the channel is currently showcasing some simple tips and tricks.

It's official: we're now on YouTube.

Subscribe and get helpful tips, tricks, and how-tos – straight from Apple. https://t.co/aKKtqzHBBU pic.twitter.com/LmkyRWesBg

— Apple Support (@AppleSupport) November 28, 2017

280 Character Tweets

I've always thought that 140 characters wasn't enough. Today, that limit has been bumped to 280 characters. It's a simple change, but it will probably change Twitter a lot. The brevity of Twitter was it's gimmick. There are advantages and disadvantages to this, but it's a change I'm fine with. 

Twitter Replaces Default Profile Photo

Yeah, it's been a bit of a slow news day. But it seems that Twitter will no longer be using an egg for its default profile picture, because it conveys a negative connotation. The photo is typically associated with accounts used to harass people. So, instead of taking whisks with the egg photo, Twitter hatched up this plan. They're using a generic silhouette for the photo to keep people on the sunny side up. Okay, I'll stop. Normally, I don't do puns on this blog, but for now, omelettin' it slide.

Twitter No Longer Counts Usernames Toward Character Limits

When you are replying to a tweet, you no longer have to worry about the mention (@username) taking up any character space. This is pretty useful since to reply to a tweet, you are required to have this text, which wastes precious characters. The whole "why do we need character limits in 2017" argument is irrelevant. Hopefully, this is a step in the right direction.

Twitter Adds Ability to Clear Cache

Apps like Twitter, Facebook, and other social networks often take up way too much space because they are constantly caching posts. To fix this, often times you would have to delete and reinstall the app. However, Twitter has added the ability to clear the cache in-app. It's currently being rolled out, but it appears in a menu called "Web Storage." While it's great Twitter has added this, it worries me that companies will get into the habit of having the user habitually clear the cache, when the app should honestly be managing its own storage better. There's no reason Twitter should ever take up more than half a gigabyte. Hopefully, someone will eventually break the trend.

Image Credit: MacRumors

Ok, Google Super Bowl Ad

The Super Bowl took place today, and with that comes a slew of ad campaigns. However, Google Home may have wanted to be a bit more subtle with their trigger phrase. While this ad is nothing new, many more people have the device in their homes. So, when the commercial played, Google Homes around the country would be set off. Many expressed their experiences with this on Twitter.

That @Google home trailer made my google home have a meltdown.

— Jared Feldman (@jfeldman452) February 5, 2017

Location Based Tweets

Twitter started to rollout location based tweets on Friday, according to TechCrunch. This means you can look up a location in Twitter and view all of the tweets from there. This is useful for events of all scales, including Comic Con. Instagram has had this feature for sometime as well. Twitter is available for free from the Apple App Store [Direct Link].

Image Credit: TechCrunch

@AppleSupport

Apple now has a new Twitter account dedicated to helping people needing support with Apple products (@AppleSupport). They can help with all kinds of Apple related issues. Heck, they're even Twitter Verified, and we all know how hard that is to get. So you know they're official. They've responded to about 100 tweets per hour. It's a good option if you have an issue without any personal information, as tweets are public.

Twitter Removes 140-Character Limit from Direct Messages

If you read the title, don't get too excited. Remember, it's only for direct messages. What are direct messages? Simply put, they're messages sent to a specific person and only visible to that person. It's not shared with the world. Like an email, or an IM, or a text message. Come to think of it, why do we need direct messages? It's just texting rebranded with Twitter. Anyways, Twitter no longer requires your messages to be under 140 characters. Now you can actually have a conversation or whatever people do these days on the Tweeter and MySpace. Shortly put, you can have unrestricted direct messages on Twitter.

"While Twitter is largely a public experience, Direct Messages let you have private conversations about the memes, news, movements, and events that unfold on Twitter. Each of the hundreds of millions of Tweets sent across Twitter every day is an opportunity for you to spark a conversation about what's happening in your world. That's why we've made a number of changes to Direct Messages over the last few months. Today's change is another big step towards making the private side of Twitter even more powerful and fun."

Eddy Cue Posts Use of Apple at World Series on Twitter

Eddy Cue (@cue) posted a picture of him using Apple Pay at the World Series. The picture shows an NFC card reader. This comes just after CVS and Rite Aid discontinue their support for Apple Pay. The service seems to be good and has had a fairly good launch, the biggest problem being that cashiers don't know how to activate the NFC in the credit card terminal. I guess Google Wallet never really took off in its first two years of operation and cashiers were never trained on the matter. Anyways, here's Eddy's tweet.

Just used Apple Pay at the World Series. Go Giants! #ApplePay pic.twitter.com/clfQAeOGH3
— Eddy Cue (@cue) October 26, 2014

Twitter

If you haven't noticed, Twitter is trending. While many protest it as a distraction, I find it interesting in moderation. In fact, most of my tweets are automated. Many big-name companies use Twitter as part of their marketing department. NBC's show, The Voice, uses it to let America save singers in real-time. In many commercials, you'll find hashtags (#ThisIsAHashtag) in the corners of the screens. Twitter will go crazy with the Winter Olympics coming up. In fact, Twitter went public recently. They are currently selling for $41.75 a share. What are your thoughts?

Twitter had some issues today…

Twitter wasn't available from 1:08 PM thru 1:33 PM according to their status blog. Twitter apologizes for the accident. The issue was resolved. 

#Revolution4Geeks

Remember to post with the hashtag, #Revolution4Geeks on Google+, Twitter, or Facebook! Just type it anywhere. This is from a post about a major security flaw in Apple iOS devices. Share it to two people and if they do the same, this could go on, and on, and on. Let's do this!

To see the post mentioned, click here.