Twitter opens beta program to test new conversation features

Twitter is finally ready to start formally testing all those new conversation features it’s been teasing for the past several weeks.

The company is taking applications for prospective beta testers, who will be able to take Twitter’s new conversation features for a spin before they’re released to the public.

The company is hoping its conversation revamp will make it easier for people to, well, actually have conversations. Twitter has always struggled with this aspect of its service, but it it became embarrassingly obvious last week when Recode’s Kara Swisher attempted to interview Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey live on Twitter last week. Despite Swisher’s pointed questions and Dorsey’s promise to “answer any and all questions,” the conversation quickly became a big, confusing mess.

Among the new features beta testers will get to test: 

• Redesigned threads that use color-coded labels and a chat bubble-style design 

• Nested replies that make it easier to track offshoots of a particular conversation

• Replies that hide like and retweet counts behind an additional menu

Twitter first shared plans to test these features as part of a new beta program last month. Even without the beta, Twitter has already been testing some new features out in the open, including “original tweeter” tags, and a morning news brief feature on Android.

Twitter says it’s primarily looking for beta testers who speak English or Japanese, and wants a mix of casual users and those who use the app every day. The beta program is iOS only. The company notes an official, public release of the new features is still months away.