Twitter Rolls Out TikTok-like 'For You' Page Algorithm for iOS Users

Andi C., Tech Times 11 January 2023, 08:01 am

Twitter has reportedly switched a new algorithm similar to TikTok by default for iOS users.

The social media app is making efforts to provide an experience resembling the For You Page, which TikTok provides. The social media app is introducing two new tabs that will alter users' default feeds after a difficult previous year since new management has taken over.

Users now see the algorithmic "For You" timeline when launching the Twitter iOS app. TikTok's algorithm inspired this change that the company has previously tested.

What Is the Tiktok-inspired 'For You' Page?

Avid users of TikTok are more than familiar with the term "For You" page or FYP after endless daily scrolling.

When users start the TikTok app, they are immediately sent to the For You Page. It presents users with a hand-picked selection of creator videos that they might not be following but that TikTok's algorithm thinks they might enjoy based on their shared interests and prior interactions. With customized content, TikTok hopes to keep users on the platform for longer.

"The system recommends content by ranking videos based on a combination of factors - starting from interests you express as a new user, and adjusting for things you indicate you're not interested in." According to TikTok's explanation.

Your FYP is therefore filled with videos that TikTok's algorithm thinks you will most likely enjoy, mainly from content creators you do not already know, rather than just videos from the users you follow.

According to Later, the way TikTok's algorithm presents material to users is influenced by several factors, namely, user activity, the topic of the video, location, language, audio, and "Not Interested" comments by the user.

Twitter Algorithm Changes on iOS

The "For You" and "Following" sections have been added to the feed. The For You tab will be displayed first when the app is first accessed, according to The Verge. This indicates that the new Twitter homepage will consist of suggested themes and hot topics, a design similar to TikTok.

The tabs are initially being released for iOS. On Android and the web, you may still access the previous feed as it was. Users can switch between Twitter's algorithmic timeline and the reverse chronological timeline thus far.

MacRumors reports that for the Twitter version of the FYP, the algorithm takes into account videos you have previously engaged with, accounts and hashtags you follow, your region and preferred language, and even the kind of material you produce.

Twitter and other competing social media platforms have also copied TikTok's features in the past. Before switching to a timeline that displayed a selection of the most popular tweets first, Twitter first utilized a reverse chronological feed that displayed the most recent tweets at the top of the interface.