Twitter is finally adding advanced search filters to the mobile app design.
While Twitter filters have been around for some time, advanced search location was notoriously unintuitive and difficult to find on the web version. A user had to type in their search query, then hit the three dots button on the right of the search bar to bring up the advanced search menu.
On mobile, this was entirely impossible to do until yesterday, when Matt Navarra, a notable social media analyst, announced this feature was coming to mobile.
NEW! Twitter Advanced Search feature on iOS is coming soon 👀👇 https://t.co/ae56yE3JTUpic.twitter.com/xbQUpQJAlS
— Matt Navarra (@MattNavarra) January 4, 2023
The feature will first become available on devices running on iOS, as is frequently the case with tech developments such as these.
As for the update itself, it’s suspected that it is the work of George Hotz, a Twitter intern who resigned from the company just four weeks into his 12-week internship.
However, to introduce Hotz only as a Twitter intern would be a serious misrepresentation. He is (far) better known as a security hacker responsible for developing iOS jailbreaks, reverse engineering the PlayStation 3, and founding Comma.ai, a driver-assistance system.
Hotz apparently took the job at Twitter to “put his money where his mouth is” following a backlash from his supporters because he backed Elon Musk’s “extremely hardcore” workplace demands.
This happens on rare occasions as Musk and Hotz don’t exactly see eye to eye. Musk tasked his nemesis with fixing Twitter’s bad search system according to Hotz himself.
Musk has already expressed his displeasure with Twitter’s search feature in the past, and so have the users. That would make the upcoming feature one of the few points the user base and Musk agree on.
Search within Twitter reminds me of Infoseek in ‘98! That will also get a lot better pronto.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 5, 2022
Even though Hotz was gone before his internship was up, a lot of the users seem to think that the upcoming Twitter update is his legacy.
“Appreciate the opportunity, but didn’t think there was any real impact I could make there. Besides, it was sad to see my GitHub withering. Back to coding!” Hotz wrote.
But that wasn’t the only gripe he had with Twitter.
“The food’s a lot worse than it was—a lot worse” he added.
It isn’t clear when the update will roll out, only that iOS users will be the first ones to enjoy Twitter filters for advanced search on mobile.
