Sometime last winter, I was at my college workspace, trying really hard to work on a project that was going nowhere. So I did the most obvious thing I could think of at the moment – brought out my iPhone, opened the Twitter app and mindlessly started scrolling through. Zoned out that I was, I found myself skipping the text and stopping where I saw images – videos, GIFs, memes. And that’s when the idea first came to my mind – Instagram for Twitter. I half jokingly instagram’d about it.
But the more I thought about it the more it made sense. And of course, I thought I was a genius for coming up with it. But my version of the app never made it past the wireframing stage. Thankfully, the developers at The Iconfactory are a bit more motivated than I am.
Twitterrific’s New Center Stage Feature
Twitterrific, if you’re not aware, is one of the two best third party Twitter clients for iPhone and iPad (and the best one depending on who you ask and when).
In their latest update – v 5.16, they’ve added a new feature called Center Stage (great name, when you think about it). It puts the media in your timeline – images, GIFs, videos (linked or otherwise), in the center stage.
When you hit the Center Stage button from the top of the timeline (next to the search bar), the app is transformed from a feed of text to a media slideshow. A running feed of just photos and videos, kind of like Instagram but by instead of swiping up/down, you swipe sideways.
To start, you’ll need to swipe right to view the next media. In the bottom you’ll find the tweet text, who it came from. There’s the “X” button on the top and a button to go back to the first tweet. And that’s it.
You’ll find the Center Stage button to get into the media mode, whenever you open any sort of media from your timeline. That’s a good shortcut.
Why It Makes Sense
This is a great way to consume Twitter for a couple of different reasons. I’ll explain the reasoning for my own, now dead, Instagram for Twitter app.
First, you get rid of the replies, which, depending on the toxicity of the particular thread, is a victory in its own right.
Second, it’s just a much smoother, better experience. There’s no 3D touching the video/image to view it, there’s no tapping on a video to open it, then pressing the play button. It’s all just there.
If your timeline is filled with short videos, memes and GIFs (and let’s be honest, at this point, it probably is), this could be a great way to consume all that information.
And when you want to consume those really witty, on-time commentary on things happening across the world, just exit the Center Stage and go back to the good ol’ timeline.
Download: Twitterrific 5 for Twitter (Free with in-app purchases)
