Twitter Fleets Disappear: The Feature is Gone

The Sunset of Twitter Fleets

The value of something is often only truly appreciated once it's lost. Following a relatively brief period of availability, Twitter has announced the discontinuation of Fleets, its ephemeral stories feature launched in November 2020.

Initial Experimentation and Rationale

Testing of Fleets commenced in March of the preceding year. Twitter’s intention was to attract users who might be reluctant to share thoughts in the platform’s more permanent posting format, offering a “lower-pressure” alternative.

Given the prevalence of disappearing content on other major social media platforms, exploring such a feature for Twitter seemed logical. However, after being live for eight months, the decision has been made to retire the functionality.

Placement and Transition

Fleets were initially positioned prominently at the top of the timeline, within a dedicated section. As Fleets are phased out, Spaces, Twitter’s audio-based chat rooms similar to Clubhouse, will take its place in the application interface.

Limited Adoption and Future Focus

The company had anticipated that Fleets would attract a new user base. However, adoption was primarily limited to existing, active Twitter users.

Twitter has stated its commitment to revisiting its strategies for increasing user participation. Fleets, unfortunately, did not contribute to this goal and has therefore been discontinued.

Reflections from the Product Team

Members of the team responsible for developing Fleets shared their perspectives on Twitter as the feature neared its end.

Ilya Brown, VP of Consumer Product at Twitter, articulated the importance of continuous evolution, stating in a blog post: “If we’re not evolving our approach and winding down features every once in a while – we’re not taking big enough chances.”

An Unexpected Legacy

Ironically, the announcement of Fleets’ demise generated more engagement than the feature itself had during its lifespan.

The tweet announcing the discontinuation became a notable moment, even inspiring the creation of a collectible hoodie bearing the phrase “We’re sorry or you’re welcome.” This ensures that Fleets will be remembered, even if eventually forgotten – perhaps the most appropriate outcome of all.

The naming of Fleets also garnered attention, with a humorous connection to a former intern.