Social giant Twitter has removed the facility that allows its users to send direct messages to anyone on the site, despite launching the trial feature just last month.
Bosses of the social platform said the move forms part of a broader experiment being carried out using tweeters’ data.
By targeting small groups plucked from its user base of 200 million individuals and brands, Twitter hopes to make informed decisions over whether or not to introduce features to a broader audience.
The social network explained that it has become more experimental in recent months, bringing in new tests with its users nearly every day, resulting in what the company believes to be a robust framework for its existing products.
Elaborating on Twitter’s new approach in a blog post back in September, the company’s vice president of engineering, Alex Roetter, said users may find they have access to features that their friends don’t, and vice versa.
The ‘messages from anyone’ feature was one of Twitter’s more ambitious experiments, but it’s not known exactly how many users chose to opt in.
Some observers, according to TechHive, have suggested that Twitter has pulled the trial feature because it plans to launch a stand-alone Facebook-style messaging app.
On top of this, Twitter has released updates for its Android and iOS software to improve its in-app search tool. It has also introduced a filter feature, which can be used to access a newsfeed of more recent tweets or videos and images.
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Twitter said users may find they have access to features that their friends don’t, and vice versa.@EngageWeb http://t.co/IR5HQhQU0m