Twitter confirms it’s testing an ‘undo tweet’ feature — but you’ll have to pay

The evidence is mounting that Twitter will be adding an “undo tweet” feature, but that those who want it will have to pay: app researcher Jane Manchun Wong has discovered a subscription screen tied to the feature. The Verge reports that the ability to take back tweets has also shown up on a survey asking Twitter users about features they’d be willing to pay for, as well as in the code for the app, and CNET received confirmation  from Twitter that it is, in fact, being tested.

When it will become widely available is unknown, but it’s understandable why Twitter could be considering reserving the feature for its potential subscription service: what’s a better lure than a “keep yourself out of trouble” button? For its part, Twitter hasn’t said if the feature will be limited to paying customers — it’s possible it’s not far enough along in development for that decision to have been made yet.

It’s also worth noting that the button’s design suggests that it works similarly to the “undo send” button in Gmail, where the site simply waits a few seconds before actually sending the message. In other words, it’s not really the edit button that people clamor for, but it could at least get you some of the way to that functionality (albeit minus the part where someone else can tell you that you’ve made a mistake).

If Twitter is open to suggestions for the undo button, here’s one: have it pop up if someone blasts through the offensive tweet warning, giving them a few more seconds to reconsider. Whether that would fix the general atmosphere on Twitter is hard to say, but it might be worth a try.

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