Twitter launches pilot test for new feature to remove followers without blocking

Twitter has launched its pilot test of a new option for removing specific followers and eliminating the need to block/unblock. This is part of the Company’s objective to give users more control using the app.  

As shown in the above screenshot, users in this new Live Test will have the ability to choose ‘Remove this follower’ directly from a specific user’s options listed within their ‘Followers’ display. Users will not be notified that they have been removed and can follow you again if they wish. But it does offer a less intrusive way to delete someone you might not want to keep your Tweets busy. 

This feature was once spotted by Alessandro Paluzzi, a researcher, weeks ago. Earlier this month, Twitter pointed to this feature in a review of its upcoming controls,  which may also include options to back up your old tweets, remove them from tweet discussions, and hide your likes. 

The bigger focus is on giving users more options for managing their interactions in the app and avoiding unwanted interactions. Twitter also added a new “Safety Mode” tool last week that allows users to automatically block mass-mentions of their accounts, a means to avoid tweet pile-ons and the impact of ‘Cancel Culture’. 

The ability to quickly and easily remove followers can help reduce confrontation while avoiding future problems. Until the user finds out, of course, removing them may have its own complications – but then again, you can block people completely if necessary. 

It will also benefit brands and make it easier for companies to review followers, which can help improve their audience analysis and maximise efficiency. 

Your Tweet analytics data is only relevant if your audience consists of real potential customers, people who might buy from your brand based on your message. There’s no point in knowing that your best time to tweet is 10 a.m. on a Tuesday, for example, when half of your followers never listen to you, while it’s more useful to understand that more people are using videos in your tweets, when You have a better understanding of who these people are actually watching.

At the same time, the scope of your tweets is at least partly determined by engagement in the tweet – so removing followers who may be bots, inactive, and/or ultimately never committed can help improve your tweeting app. The same is true for similar audiences with ad targeting, with the ability to remove inactive audiences and increase feedback for existing audiences in your campaign. 

The new ‘Remove follower’ tool is Live, and is in testing in the web version on the Twitter app.