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Twitter encourages popular users to stop posting photos with Instagram

Twitter encourages popular users to stop posting photos with Instagram

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Users of Twitter's official apps haven't been able to actually see Instagram photos since 2012. That was when Instagram decided to abruptly remove support for "cards" that showed photos right in the Twitter timeline; ever since, users have had to click a link to see that content or use a third-party Twitter client. Yet here we are several years later, and some very influential and famous people continue to share photos from Instagram with their millions of Twitter followers. It seems Twitter is starting to get a bit tired of it.

As reported by Mashable, earlier today the company reminded some of its most popular verified users that posting photos directly from the Twitter app will lead to a better experience for their followers — since everyone can actually see those photos on the web and mobile devices right in timeline view.

Twitter Instagram

To be clear, Twitter isn't telling anyone to stop using Instagram. Instead, the company is emphasizing that "fans will always see" images uploaded with its own app instead of a boring, text-only tweet. Twitter has been working to make the process of sharing photos faster and easier through updates to its mobile apps, and yes, it's also added many filters and effects along the way.

Will a gentle nudge be enough to break the habits of Twitter's high-profile personalities? That's very doubtful — especially when you consider how quickly Instagram continues to grow. It's bigger than Twitter when measured by active users. Twitter's co-founders might not care about that statistic, but actors, sports stars, musicians, and others with a big following seem to. Or maybe the simple explanation is the right one. Maybe they just prefer taking pictures with Instagram.