Twitter removing ‘Fleets’ function in August

Twitter will shut down its 24-hour story feature, called Fleets, roughly nine months after the company launched the function.

we’re removing Fleets on August 3, working on some new stuff

we’re sorry or you’re welcome

— Twitter (@Twitter) July 14, 2021

Since launching Fleets in November, the company hasn’t “seen an increase” in users using the feature “like we hoped,” Twitter’s head of product, brand and video ads, Ilya Grown, said in a blog post on Wednesday. 

Twitter’s Fleets functioned similarly to story features on Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook — allowing users to publish a post that would last for a day. 

Brown said the company is exploring ways to expand on its platform by learning from the launch of Fleets, including testing ways to incorporate media options that were available through fleets such as the full-screen camera, text formatting and GIF stickers. 

Twitter will also use the top of a user’s timeline screen, where Fleets were displayed, to highlight when an account a user follows is hosting live audio rooms through Twitter’s Spaces feature. 

Twitter has rolled out several new features in the past few months. 

The company recently introduced a subscription service that will allow access to certain features for a monthly fee, as well as an option for ticketed Spaces. Twitter also said it is exploring “Super Follows” features that would allow users to charge followers for exclusive content, and launched a “Tip Jar” that lets users send and receive money on Twitter. 

The updates come after the social media company earlier this year announced a goal of doubling its revenue by the end of 2023.