Twitter’s GIF library is finally here.
Following a limited testing of a new GIF button more than a week ago, Twitter announced it is rolling out its new GIF search feature to users on all platforms over the next few weeks.
To welcome the new GIF feature, Twitter posted a series of GIFs on its own account, including a short tutorial in the appropriate form of a GIF.
The GIFs are coming! Get ready to search and send GIFs in Tweets and Direct Messages: https://t.co/uk75stt1zN pic.twitter.com/1dDD1B4CW2— Twitter (@twitter) February 17, 2016
The feature allows users to search the new GIF library with keywords, or browse through categories to find that perfect GIF reaction. Not only can you use the GIFs in your tweets, you can also use them in direct messages. They come from Giphy and Riffsy, which are both large, searchable GIF databases.
3/ pic.twitter.com/Rk4PCVOuv9— Twitter (@twitter) February 17, 2016
It's positive news for Twitter, which saw recent backlash for its new algorithmic timeline. GIFs could give Twitter’s user base a boost and increase participation, restoring some faith in the nearly 10-year-old social media company that just saw a departure of four top executives.