If you're a Twitter user, you've likely heard that we're getting an awesome update to the Direct Message system right about now — one that includes the appearance of the typing indicator. But while some people love these new features, others are already wondering whether you can turn off the typing indicator in Twitter Direct Messages. Some people simply don't want others to know too much; after all, privacy is a legitimate concern, especially when it comes to social media and text-based communication. However, I have some unfortunate news for you: As of this writing, however, it does not appear that users have the option to turn the typing indicator "off" in Twitter DMs. (Bustle has reached out to Twitter for more information and will update this post if/when we hear back.)
That doesn't mean there aren't ways to get around it, though. One option to avoid the typing indicator is to simply avoid updating your Twitter app. In order to access the new features on either your phone or the web, you do need to "update" your Twitter app — so if you're not feeling the new features, you can try to prolong the inevitable by holding off on updating.
But if your app has already updated, or if you like some of the other new Twitter features but not this particular one, there doesn't seem to be a lot you can do to make sure that people don't see your typing indicator.
On the bright side, if you're concerned about privacy, you do have some control over some of the other new Twitter DM features. For instance, you can turn off your read receipts, making it such that you don't need to worry about when to open a message for fear that someone has "seen" you read it at a certain time. If you're someone who likes a little more ambiguity when it comes to communication, this might be a huge relief.
How you actually turn off your read receipts varies a bit depending on whether you're on Android, iOS, or Twitter on the web (although note that you won't see read receipts on Twitter on the web; however, if you read a DM on the web and the person who sent it to you looks at the exchange on the app, they'll be able to see if you've read it). If you have the Twitter update, your read receipts will be turned "on" automatically, so it's a matter of going into your account's privacy settings and turning "off" read receipts. Luckily, once that's done, it's all set!
For now, I'll keep an eye out for more privacy options regarding the typing indicator, too. Happy tweeting, everybody!
Images: Giphy
