With this update, it seems that Twitter is returning to its by-gone feature-rich roots. According to their blog, there are some new features that are common to both platforms, and others, which are exclusive to one platform or the other.
Either way, both, the iPhone and Android apps revive the swipe shortcut feature that lets the user view a profile and reply, retweet, favorite or share a tweet without having to leave her home timeline.
On the other hand, a simple, yet recently meaningful change is now Twitter does a better job of letting you know that it will be uploading (not just scanning) your contact information to help you suggest other users to interact with. Also, the updated iPhone and Android apps both introduce a feature designed to expedite the process of finding friends on Twitter via existing email and phone contact lists.
The Find Friends feature is basically a confirmation alert when you choose to find friends using your phone’s contacts. This is likely a response to the controversy that erupted last week when the blogosphere discovered that Twitter and other popular apps like Facebook and Instagram were swiping users’ address books without notifying the users.
For iOS, Twitter has returned the copy and paste function. They had previously withdrawn the ability to copy and paste the text of tweets or user profiles, but now it is back. Just press and hold to copy. Twitter has also increased the share function where you used to only be able to copy or email a link to the tweet. Besides, Twitter has also updated the design of the direct messages section and brought back the ability to mark all messages as unread by tapping a checkmark in the lower righthand corner. iPhone owners can change their font size, too.
Finally, if you see a link in a tweet, you can tweet it yourself, copy it, e-mail it or choose to read it later via the ‘Read Later’ service (which you will find under Settings > Advanced).
Moreover, iPhone users will also enjoy several more additions, including the ability to email, copy and tweet a link (via the “share” option) within a tweet. (Visit the Twitter Blog to see what other options iDevice users will now have access to.)
Finally, for Android users, Twitter has unfurled great support for new devices, including the Amazon Kindle Fire, the Barnes and Noble Nook Color and the Nook Tablet, which will release on the 23rd of February. The app is also updated to support other Android devices running Ice Cream Sandwich.
You can download the iOS app right now at Apple’s App Store or the Android Market.