It appears that Twitter is testing an 'undo' button that would give users the opportunity to rectify any errors they spot in a tweet they've sent — if they're quick enough. The feature is not the fully blown 'edit' button that has been requested by many since Twitter launched in 2006, but it would go some way to addressing the same issue. In short, it would allow users to correct the sloppily written tweets they've only proofed after sending.
The fabled edit button is said to be among Twitter's most requested features, but even as recently as January this year CEO Jack Dorsey said in an interview that the company would "probably never do it." Twitter even poked fun at the ongoing saga itself when it tweeted last year: "You can have an edit button when everyone wears a mask." That's not to say the idea hasn't been considered, though. Indeed, Dorsey has discussed the possibility of the feature over the years, including in an interview on the Joe Rogan Podcast in 2019 when he said a solution of some sort was being looked at.
One of the reasons Dorsey has previously noted for allowing some way to edit tweets is for occasions when a user has noticed that they've made a typo after hitting send. This, he has suggested, could be solved by introducing a timer that gives users a short period to review what they have written after hitting send and the option of recalling the tweet within that short window of time if they spot a problem. This appears to be what is being tested, with app blogger and researcher Jane Manchun Wong having posted an image of a sent tweet confirmation with an undo button and a timer bar. When clicked, the button reopens the tweet in the editing box as it was immediately before being sent.
Twitter: Why Undo Beats Edit
The beauty of the undo button is that it will give users the time to review their tweet and to make changes without making major changes to the user experience. It would simply involve delaying the sending of a tweet until after the timer has finished. While this might not help users to catch all the mistakes they make, it would surely catch a lot.
An edit button, on the other hand, could conceivably allow a user to change the entire contents of a tweet at any time. Although intended for making simple corrections, it could also be used for a tiresome new breed of pranks, or even serve more nefarious purposes. Of course, it's highly unlikely Twitter would roll out such functionality without other users being able to what had been written previously, but then how would that be implemented? Version history functionality seems like overkill for tweets and would either need to be visible, which would be difficult to implement elegantly, or require a click to be viewed, which could mean it not being used by many thereby defeating the point.
Undoubtedly, if the undo button is rolled out, some Twitter users will argue that it doesn't go far enough. The problem with an edit button, though, would be that it would go too far.
Source: Jane Manchun Wong/Twitter