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Getting Started with Twitter for iPhone

Table of Contents 

 

What's the latest version of the iPhone app?

  • v4.2
  • Our iPhone Releases page has all the information on what’s new and fixed in this version.

How to sign up for an account 

Note: If you are using iOS 5, you should check out this article for instructions on how to sign up for an account with the Twitter iOS 5 integration.
  1. If you haven’t already installed the Twitter for iPhone app, go to http://www.twitter.com/download/iphone and follow the instructions on that page.
  2. Once the app is installed on your iPhone, you can sign in with an existing account or sign up for a new account directly from the app.
  3. Tap the blue Sign up button on the welcome screen and fill out the fields asking for your name, email address, desired username, and password.
  4. If your desired username is already taken, it will turn red and a message will drop down below the username field telling you to choose a new username.
  5. Once you’ve chosen a name that has not been taken, a blue check mark will appear next to your username.
  6. When you have completed the form, tap Sign up.
  7. A message will pop up telling you your account has been successfully created.
Note: Once your account is created, a confirmation email will be sent to your email address. You must confirm your email address in order for it to be fully associated with your Twitter account so that you can receive important notifications from us regarding your account.

How to add an existing account

  1. If you already have an account and don’t wish to sign up for a new one, tap Sign in on the welcome screen.
  2. You will be prompted to enter your username and password to log in.
  3. If you have multiple Twitter accounts, you can access them all from the Twitter for iPhone app.

To add more accounts:

    1. Tap the Me tab in the bottom navigation.
    2. On the next screen, tap Switch Accounts and the tap the plus sign (+) in the bottom right corner of the screen.
    3. Enter the username and password for your other account.
      There is no technical limit to the number of accounts you can add, but adding more than 10 will cause the app to run slower.

      How to post and delete a Tweet

      To post a Tweet:

        1. Tap the compose Tweet icon (looks like a feather quill) at the top right of the Home Timeline screen (pictured below).
        2. Compose your 140-character message and tap Tweet.
        3. The Tweet will be successfully posted to your profile.

          When composing a Tweet, you will also see the options to:  

          • @reply/mention
          • add a #hashtag
          • take or add a photo
          • add your location
          • find out more in our Advanced Tips and Tricks article

          To delete a Tweet:

          1. Tap the Tweet you'd like to delete.
          2. Tap the trash can icon at the bottom of the Tweet (pictured below).
          3. A message will pop-up with the option to cancel. Tap Delete Tweet.
          4. The Tweet will be successfully removed from your profile. 

          Home: Home timeline and navigation

          Navigation

          At the bottom of your home timeline you’ll see a navigation bar.

          • Home is where you see Tweets from the accounts you follow and can navigate back to your home timeline.
          • @Connect is where you can find your public @mentions and Tweet interactions
          • #Discover is where you can see the latest news stories and trends worldwide.
          • Me is where you can view and edit your profile, access your direct messages, lists, and more!

          Home timeline

          • Scroll down through your home timeline to see the latest updates from users you follow (pictured below).
          • When the Home tab has a blue glow underneath it, it means that there are new Tweets waiting to hit your timeline. Tap the home button or pull down on your timeline to load these new Tweets.
          • From the home timeline, you can tap on an individual Tweet to see the Tweet’s details page, including photos and media, conversations, and the number of favorites and retweets the Tweet has received (also pictured below).
          • On the Tweet’s details page you can also reply to, retweet, quote, or mark the Tweet as a favorite.

          • Swipe your finger across any individual Tweet and a shortcuts menu will appear (shown below). From this menu, you can also reply to, retweet, quote, or mark the Tweet as a favorite. You can also tap off-screen menu icon (looks like an arrow jumping out of a box) for the option to share the Tweet with others. Tap the person icon to view the user’s profile.

          @Connect: mentions, Interactions, and more!

          • At the top of the screen you will see two menu options - Interactions and Mentions
          • The Interactions tab displays a timeline of the activity around your account. Here, you can see who has recently followed you, mentioned you, retweeted you or marked your Tweets as favorites.
          • The Mentions tab will strip out all other activity notifications and only display your mentions and @replies. What are the differences between @replies and mentions? Learn more here.   
          • Looking for someone? Pull down on the page to get to the Search bar at the top of the screen to find other users.

          #Discover: top stories, trends, who to follow, find friends, and browse your interests

          Top Stories

          • The Top Stories tab reveals stories that are breaking on Twitter amongst the people you follow and those they follow. 
          • Tap on a story and you’ll be taken to the original news story or shown the featured Tweet with the hashtag.
          • Tap on the headline to view the latest Tweets about the topic.
          • Tap View all stories to see a complete list of the top stories on Twitter.
          • When you see a blue glow underneath the Discover tab, it means that there are new top stories for you to read.

          Activity

          • Below Stories, you will see a section called Activity, which displays what’s happening with the people you follow: who they’re following and what Tweets they’ve marked as favorites.
          • Tap View all activity to see a complete list of updates.

          Trends

          • Below top stories you will see a list of the current top Trends worldwide.
          • Tap on a trend to view real-time Tweets about this topic.
          • Tap View all trends to see a complete list of the top trends.

          Who to follow

          • Below the Trends tab you will see a section called Who to follow, displaying Twitter’s top suggestions of accounts we think you’d like to follow based on your interests.
          • To follow an account, tap the follow button next to the username.
          • To see a complete list of suggestions, tap View all suggestions.

          Browse categories

          • Tapping Browse categories will take you to a page where you can view a list of suggested users in different categories such as music, sports, entertainment, fashion, and more!

          Find friends (importing contacts)

          • Tapping this will import your contacts’ email address and phone number to Twitter and bring up a list of accounts for you to follow based on your phone's contact list. We may also suggest to your contacts to follow you.
          • People can only be found by their email address if they have agreed to "Let others find me by my email address" in their settings. Similarly, people can choose to "Let others find me by my phone number" under mobile settings.

          Removing contacts

          • You can remove your contacts from Twitter at any time. Simply visit this page on Twitter.com and click the remove link.
          • You can also remove contacts from mobile.twitter.com if you're on a mobile device.
          • After 18 months, we remove your contacts for you.

          Search bar

          • You can use the search bar at the top of the Discover or Connect tabs to search for other topics, hashtags, or accounts.
          • Just start typing and you will see a list of suggested accounts that you already follow for quick searching. 
          • You can also view your search history by tapping on the search bar. 

          Me: Your profile, direct messages, lists, favorites, and more!

          Direct messages (DMs)

          • When the the Me tab has a blue glow under it, it means that you have a new direct message waiting for you.
          • Tap Direct Messages to access your sent and received DMs.
          • To respond to a DM, tap the username of the sender to open the conversation thread and type your message in the text box at the bottom of the page.
          • To compose a new DM, tap the compose message icon (looks like a pen and a pad of paper) in the upper right corner of the screen.
          • To delete a DM conversation, tap the arrow icon at the top right of the page and then select Delete conversation.
          • To learn more about DMs, check out this handy article.

          Saved Searches

          • If you have any specific Saved Searches on twitter.com, you can access them by tapping Saved searches in the Me tab.
          • Note: You cannot save new searches on the Twitter for iPhone app, only on the web.
          • Tap the individual Saved Search and you’ll be taken to a page where the current search results for that term are displayed.

          Favorites

          • Tap on your Profile Image and then Favorites to see a list of Tweets you recently marked as a favorite.

          Lists

          • Tap Lists to access lists that you’ve created on twitter.com and are currently subscribed to (Subscribed to is selected by default).
          • Tap Member of to switch over to a view of other users’ lists that you’ve been added to.
          • Tap a specific list to see more. Within each list you’ll have an option to view the lists Members or tap Tweets to see the the list’s timeline of Tweets.

          Switching accounts

          • If you have multiple accounts added to the app, you can switch by pressing the Switch Account button. You can also do this by pressing the menu button on your device from the home timeline and tapping Accounts.

          Font size settings

          • You can change the size of the font on your screen by navigating to Me > Settings > Advanced > Font Size.

          Editing your Profile

          • To edit your profile, tap the box with your profile image and name. This will open your profile page.
          • Tap Edit Profile to change your profile image, bio, website, location, or real name.

          Notifications

          To set push notifications for your account to be notified when a user retweets, favorites mentions, replies to, DMs you or follows you:

          1. Go to the app's Settings, and then select Notifications.
          2. You will see the option to set notifications for all mentions, or just from accounts you follow, and for direct messages.

          How to sign out of your account

          Removing an account from the Twitter for iPhone app effectively signs that account out of the app. It does not delete your account. You can always add an account back later by using the Sign In button.

          Note: The instructions for removing an account from the app are different for iOS4 and iOS5 users. If you don't know which OS version your phone is running, you can check by going to your iPhone's Settings > General > About > Version.

          To remove your account from the Twitter for iPhone app:

          Note: If you've forgotten your account's password, the Twitter for iPhone app does not allow you to reset your password from the app. You will need to go to twitter.com on a computer and follow the troubleshooting steps on this page to recover it.

          To add your account back to the app:

          1. Open the Twitter for iPhone app.
          2. Tap Sign in.
          3. Enter your username and password.
          4. Tap Done.

          Think you've got the basics down?

          Check out the Advanced Tips and Tricks article for more fancy moves.

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