Just over a month after it was introduced and following backlash from some users, Twitter has quietly removed the option for users to allow direct messages from all followers, claiming it was just an experiment.
The new feature began rolling out in in mid-October and allowed users to tick a box in their account settings if they wanted to open their feed up to direct messages from any user that already follows them.
This option no longer appears in account settings, effectively meaning that this feature has been shut down.
This will come as welcome news to users who came out against the change to the current direct message system (which allows only users that follow each other to exchange messages) over concerns of increasing spam.
When asked about the feature’s removal, Twitter has pointed users in the direction of a blog post explaining that the microblogging service often conducts ‘experiments’ to test features.
As the company experiments with how it manages direct messaging, rumours of a dedicated mobile app to do just that continue.
