Over the last year, Twitter has taken several approaches at reinventing its platform to make it more appealing to die-hard users and newcomers alike. One of those efforts was Twitter Communities, a shared space akin to Facebook's Groups feature. It launched back in September as an iOS and web-exclusive, and while it's still technically in a testing stage, the company is ready to bring it to Android.

Starting today, more users than ever can check out some of the Communities currently thriving on Twitter. As long as users have upgraded to the latest version of the app, they can now engage with other users in dedicated spaces without relying on a web browser. Tweets that you publish within Communities won't show up in your followers' feed, as each group is treated with slightly more privacy than the site itself. Remember that these spaces are still open to public view, as anyone can search and find congregations on the site. You can, of course, make your designated groups invite-only, or you can let anyone join — your call.

Although it's great to see the feature live on Android, that doesn't mean it's out of beta testing just yet. Users still can't freely create new Communities — you still need to get yourself and your group approved by Twitter. Given how quickly the feature has gained momentum, with some Communities managing to amass thousands of members, it's certainly surprising to see how long it took for the Android app to add support. Still, it's great news for anyone who's been accessing their groups through the web. It also should help build a larger audience of users for Communities — assuming, of course, that the company doesn't throw it away, as it did with Fleets last year.

If you want to engage with Communities on Android, make sure your app is updated.

Twitter Developer: Twitter, Inc.
Price: Free
4
Download