Twitter's Disappearing 'Fleets' Feature Launches Worldwide

Fleets, per a Twitter rep, are aimed at the sharing of "momentary thoughts" and were initially designed as a "lower pressure way" to join conversations.

November 17, 2020

In a move ensuring that our respective timelines will be as chaotic as possible as we move into the final moments of an abysmal year, Twitter has now launched its new Fleets feature worldwide.

The feature, which does indeed boast the potential to eventually help streamline the experience of Twitter, was initially developed by the Twitter team as a "lower pressure way" to join in for people who might otherwise feel uncomfortable throwing out a standard tweet.

"Fleets are for sharing momentary thoughts—they help start conversations and only stick around for 24 hours," design director Joshua Harris and product manager Sam Haveson explained earlier this month. The team—by way of pre-launch tests in Brazil, Italy, India, and South Korea—discovered that many users, particularly those newer to the site, found the Fleets feature to be an "easier" option for sharing their thoughts.

A Fleet can consist of text, tweet reactions, photos, or videos. You can also choose from a number of customizable background and text options, à la the Stories experience on Instagram or Snapchat.

Below, get a look at a few Fleet examples straight from the Twitter team:

Later this year, per the Verge, Twitter is set to start testing another new feature that should be familiar to Clubhouse users: voice chat rooms. With its first wave of testing, Twitter will provide first access privileges to "women and people from marginalized backgrounds."