Under the newest operating software for Apple mobile devices, iOS 5, it’s easier than ever to keep up to date. Not only is there an improved Facebook app that works great on iPhone as well as a new version for iPad, but access to that other big social network, Twitter, has been improved as well. The Twitter app has been improved as well, and the ability to Tweet is built into the native apps.
The Twitter app, like the Facebook app and nearly everything else in iOS 5, is clean and simple. It doesn’t give or show you anything you don’t need, yet everything you need and want is right there, readily available.
The Twitter app is available for all iOS devices. It allows you to tweet on the go with your iPhone, as you update your followers on your location, and also to read the latest updates from those you follow on your iPad.
The apps allow you to update and change all of your personal information on your account, including your bio and profile image. You can also find your followers and those you follow from this.
Links to websites open within the app and are both scrollable and clickable. From here you can also do a reply, retweet, copy the link to the tweet, or mail the tweet. Additionally, you can translate the tweet, open the link in Safari, and save it to Read Later in Instapaper. Menu options include Timeline, Messages, Mentions, and Lists.
The Twitter options don’t stop there in iOS5. It’s also integrated into the native iOS 5 apps. You can forward a link to a website directly from Safari. Curiously, though, although this tweet provides you with a great graphic, it doesn’t include the website title or page or article title. If you Tweet from this menu, the only thing appearing on the Tweet is the link. The title or any other info you want included needs to be typed in.
Images in Photos can be tweeted as well. It’s another one of the options including Email Photo, Assign to a Contact, and Print. Again, the information and title isn’t included. However, you can choose to have your location added to aid you in keeping your followers updated to where you are.
To be able to Tweet directly from these apps, you just need to add your username and password one time. This is done through the Settings app. Additionally, you can have your Contacts and Twitter merged so that the Twitter information of your followers will be added to your contacts.
You aren’t confined to using the Twitter app, however. It can still be accessed directly from a URL in Safari if you prefer. Your sign-in information isn’t retained in Safari though and you have to sign in separately each time. iOS 5 makes tweeting much easier and smoother, yet there are still some small advances that could be made by the next update of iOS.
Laura has spent nearly 20 years writing news, reviews, and op-eds, with more than 10 of those years as an editor as well. She has exclusively used Apple products for the past three decades. In addition to writing and editing at MTE, she also runs the site’s sponsored review program.
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