Inside Apple's iOS 5: Built-in Twitter integration makes tweeting a snap

Posted:
in iPhone edited January 2014
When iOS 5 for the iPhone and iPad arrives this fall, Apple will offer system-wide Twitter integration, making it easy to share content and talk to friends on the social networking service.



The Twitter integration in iOS 5 runs so deep, in fact, that Apple has included in a link to "Install Now" in the native Settings application. From there, users are sent to the App Store where the official, free Twitter client for iOS can be installed.



In the Settings application, users can also enter their username and password to gain the system-wide Twitter functionality offered in iOS 5. Any who are new to the social networking service can utilize a "Create New Account" link that is also provided.



For those who might be unfamiliar with the popular service, Apple even offers a brief explanation: "Twitter is an information network made up of 140-character messages called Tweets." Also offered is a link where users can "Learn More about Twitter."



Registration for a new Twitter account is even done natively within iOS 5, without the need to launch a browser. Here, users enter a desired username and password, and can even choose settings like whether their account can be discovered by e-mail, or whether location data is included in posts to Twitter.







Once an account is registered and the App Store link is selected, users are prompted with a "Download Now" alert that "Twitter will now begin to download." From here, the application installs on the iOS device just like any other App Store purchase.



Once Twitter has been set up on a system, links to post to the service can be found in a number of places. For example, an option to tweet a link shows up in the Safari browser.









And within the Maps application, users can share their location through Twitter. After choosing to tweet a location, a message can even be attached to the post.



And pictures taken or saved on a device running iOS 5 can also be posted to Twitter directly from the Camera Roll or Photos application. Simply select the "Tweet" button and a dialog box will pop up where users can add text and location data before they post.



Video walkthrough of Twitter on iOS 5 courtesy of AppleInsider reader Nick Wellings.



Twitter usernames can also be added to contact information within iOS 5. This allows system-wide integration, making it as simple as typing in a friend's name to access their Twitter account for a mention or direct message.



The features are not just limited to the official Twitter application, either. Apple's documentation notes that mention and location services can be added to any tweet, no matter what application a user may be tweeting from.









For more, see the rest of AppleInsider's ongoing series Inside iOS 5. Links to individual features highlighting new aspects of the mobile operating system are included below:



LED flash on calls, custom accessibility gestures & vibrations



Calendar improvements help make iPhone, iPad PC-free



iTunes Tone Store will offer more text alert options



Notification Center, banner alerts



Inside Apple's move to open up SMS-style messaging to not-mobile clients



Reminders app offers location-aware to-do lists



Safari Reader, private browsing, tabs on iPad



PC Free setup, keyboard shortcuts
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 51
    bloggerblogbloggerblog Posts: 2,462member
    Twitter?! Oh c'mon
  • Reply 2 of 51
    Anthony Wiener thanks you.
  • Reply 3 of 51
    extremeskaterextremeskater Posts: 2,248member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by bloggerblog View Post


    Twitter?! Oh c'mon



    Anthony Weiner asked for this feature.
  • Reply 4 of 51
    dualiedualie Posts: 334member
    We all know that Twitter is sooo difficult to use.



    What next? Will it compose tweets for me?
  • Reply 5 of 51
    jawcljawcl Posts: 10member
    You may want to add to the post, you can also share YouTube videos on Twitter. There's a button for it in iOS 5.
  • Reply 6 of 51
    cloudgazercloudgazer Posts: 2,161member
    after all people who twitter are called twits right?
  • Reply 7 of 51
    Will Twitter-integrated iOS 5 ? tapping on the Tweet button, for example ? support third party Twitter clients, like Tweetbot? I?m all for deep Twitter support, but let me choose which client to use. If I haven?t downloaded the official Twitter client, those buttons should call up any client I designate.
  • Reply 8 of 51
    msimpsonmsimpson Posts: 452member
    I only ask that if I do not setup a twitter account on my iOS device, that no references or buttons for twitters, tweets, or twits appear on my screen when I use the device. For those who want it fine. For the rest of us, please just go away.
  • Reply 9 of 51
    dasanman69dasanman69 Posts: 13,002member
    Twitter is much more than a social network. It has very effectively replaced my RSS feed. I do not tweet nor follow any celebrities but I don't follow many tech sites, news organizations, etc...and most times an article or post is on twitter before RSS. So don't knock it until you've tried it.
  • Reply 10 of 51
    nagrommenagromme Posts: 2,834member
    I’m not a Twitter user, but this is another victory for software keyboards! The dedicated Twitter punctuation keys are a nice feature.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by dualie View Post


    We all know that Twitter is sooo difficult to use.



    What next? Will it compose tweets for me?



    Agreed. When something is basically doable (like tweeting a photo taken with the camera, prior to this integration) why bother making it downright easy? What was Apple thinking? Ease of use is not what anyone wants.
  • Reply 11 of 51
    boogabooga Posts: 1,082member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by scampercom View Post


    Will Twitter-integrated iOS 5 ? tapping on the Tweet button, for example ? support third party Twitter clients, like Tweetbot? I?m all for deep Twitter support, but let me choose which client to use. If I haven?t downloaded the official Twitter client, those buttons should call up any client I designate.



    The "deep" Twitter support will offer its services-- including authentication-- to any third-party Twitter app. However, if you want to Tweet from the Maps app, it sends it from the embedded Twitter window (you never leave Maps) which uses the built-in Twitter code.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by msimpson View Post


    I only ask that if I do not setup a twitter account on my iOS device, that no references or buttons for twitters, tweets, or twits appear on my screen when I use the device. For those who want it fine. For the rest of us, please just go away.



    This is, in fact, the case. If you do not set up a Twitter account in settings, "Tweet" will not show up in the "Share" pop-up.
  • Reply 12 of 51
    trevctrevc Posts: 77member
    No Facebook integration? Seems after they coulnd't agree on the iTunes/Ping integration thing they've shifted focus to Twitter?
  • Reply 13 of 51
    bsblairbsblair Posts: 11member
    I'd like to see some sort of facebook intergration as well - especially for posting photos. iPhoto on the mac is a great example of this.
  • Reply 14 of 51
    boeyc15boeyc15 Posts: 986member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Booga View Post


    The "deep" Twitter support will offer its services-- including authentication-- to any third-party Twitter app. However, if you want to Tweet from the Maps app, it sends it from the embedded Twitter window (you never leave Maps) which uses the built-in Twitter code.







    This is, in fact, the case. If you do not set up a Twitter account in settings, "Tweet" will not show up in the "Share" pop-up.



    Thats good to know... twitter is fad.
  • Reply 15 of 51
    8corewhore8corewhore Posts: 833member
    It doesn't matter, the internet is a fad.
  • Reply 16 of 51
    addicted44addicted44 Posts: 830member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by msimpson View Post


    I only ask that if I do not setup a twitter account on my iOS device, that no references or buttons for twitters, tweets, or twits appear on my screen when I use the device. For those who want it fine. For the rest of us, please just go away.



    Why can't people freakin read before they start bitching and moaning...



    Quote:

    Once Twitter has been set up on a system, links to post to the service can be found in a number of places. For example, an option to tweet a link shows up in the Safari browser.



  • Reply 17 of 51
    addicted44addicted44 Posts: 830member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by 8CoreWhore View Post


    It doesn't matter, the internet is a fad.



    You, sir, win the internets...



    (But since its just a fad, thats not really saying much).
  • Reply 18 of 51
    addicted44addicted44 Posts: 830member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by bsblair View Post


    I'd like to see some sort of facebook intergration as well - especially for posting photos. iPhoto on the mac is a great example of this.



    I would love FB integration. However, considering that MS is a big investor in FB, and that there are rumors of them creating a Facebook phone, combined with the fact that negotiations broke down between Apple and FB days before the launch of Ping, I wouldn't be surprised if FB does not want to integrate into iOS.
  • Reply 19 of 51
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Booga View Post


    This is, in fact, the case. If you do not set up a Twitter account in settings, "Tweet" will not show up in the "Share" pop-up.



    That makes me happy. Thanks for sharing. I am not of the current mindset that I need to know every little cultural or news tidbit the moment it occurs. After trying it (more than once) I have personally found no added benefit to my life from Twitter or those that Tweet. And less clutter on the share pop-up is appreciated.
  • Reply 20 of 51
    stuffestuffe Posts: 394member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by addicted44 View Post


    I would love FB integration. However, considering that MS is a big investor in FB, and that there are rumors of them creating a Facebook phone, combined with the fact that negotiations broke down between Apple and FB days before the launch of Ping, I wouldn't be surprised if FB does not want to integrate into iOS.



    Oh, I imagine that they have already crawled back cap in hand to the table, but I suspect that they have blown it until 5.1 at the very least, if not longer. Facebook was already deep inside ping and they had to remove it literally days before the keynote, trying to hold out for special treatment that other FB API users didn't have to bend to.
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