Twitter is reportedly working on a feature that allows users to set a status, codenamed “Vibe.” The possible feature was first spotted by Jane Manchun Wong, a researcher and reverse engineer with a track record of spoiling upcoming app updates.
Screenshots shared by Wong show a “Set a status” field above the tweet composer box. A dropdown list has five pre-set vibes, none of which sound that fun, including “shopping grocery” and “driving highway.” It’s unclear if statuses will be limited to presets or if users will be able to add custom updates beyond what Twitter creates.
Twitter is working on “Set a status” in Tweet Composer, codenamed “Vibe”
You can think of it as something similar to Instagram Threads app’s Status pic.twitter.com/TGXH4uVe8Z
— Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) April 22, 2022
The status feature is a bit reminiscent of Facebook “feelings” appended to posts, and Wong compares it to statuses on the now-defunct Instagram Threads messaging app.
Vibes could be on a per-tweet basis with each post having its own, or on a profile level with the status appearing on tweets and on the profile view. Twitter users attending a conference or live-tweeting from an event often already change their display name to indicate what they’re doing, so a profile-level status could mimic that practice.
In an image shared with The Verge, a screenshot of Wong’s profile shows a placeholder status using mock data appearing below her display name (to the Twitter employee and fellow A.G. Cook fan: hello!).
Twitter did not immediately respond to a request for comment and it’s still unclear when, if ever, the feature will go live. But if custom statuses do become an option, a whole host of other questions arise, like what kind of statuses will be allowed and how the bad vibes will be moderated.