John Gruber
Did Twitter remove the buttons to open a web page in your system browser? I’ll be damned if I can find it. Desperation carries such an unpleasant stench.
Jul 11, 2023 at 4:59pmIvory for iOS
Show threadMike DolanJul 11, 2023

@gruber I just clicked a link from NWS San DIego (first one I found) on my Mac and it opened in Safari with nothing done on my part. Just clicked it.

Are you doing Mac (looks like it from screen shot) or iOS/iPadOS?

Show thread(ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧Jul 11, 2023
@dernub @gruber The screenshot is iPadOS. The macOS app is seemingly abandoned and hasn’t been updated in a long while (which in twitters case might be a good thing 😂)
Show threadMike DolanJul 11, 2023
@tweece @gruber You nailed it there. If it works, don't fix it! 😆
Show threadJ.A. Bell Jul 11, 2023
@dernub @gruber That is definitely not a Mac, it's the iPad Twitter app. Works very differently from Twitter in a browser.
Show threadKevin Patrick Doyle 🍅🥫Jul 11, 2023
@gruber wouldn’t this be worse for server load?
Show threadNoah Lovelady-AllenJul 11, 2023
@Kevin @gruber I didn’t even consider them proxying/MITMing all your traffic, but I wouldn’t put it past them at this point
Show threadMatt ⎊ Jul 11, 2023
@gruber yikes!
Show threadJxyzn SxyzyxnJul 11, 2023
@gruber
Has Elon started intercepting and redirecting Amazon product URLs through a Twitter affiliate link yet?
Show threadDustin SvehlakJul 11, 2023
@gruber is this a byproduct of the security release Apple pulled back yesterday?
Show threadsdwJul 11, 2023
@gruber I noticed the Reading List option disappeared. I thought i was just going crazy
Show threadDerek "The Derek" PassenJul 11, 2023
@gruber Anything to bump up the "user-minutes", huh
Show threadElliot VosJul 11, 2023
@dpassen @gruber “unregretted” part up for debate as always
Show thread(((Jann Gobble)))🏳️‍🌈Jul 11, 2023
@gruber This ALSO lets them put ads in the page if they wish - as it's inside their app!
Show threadEgor KloosJul 11, 2023
@gruber I didn’t notice, but then again, I don’t use the app. I use the web site, it might not as be good as the app (I don’t know) but it’s certainly good enough. And now it’s even a bit better.
Show threadLuke AndrewsJul 11, 2023
@gruber It’s like this for me on iPhone too. 🙃 Can work around it though with a long press on the link → Share via → Open in Safari.
Show threadBryan HaggertyJul 11, 2023
@gruber While we had moved pretty much everything over to SFSafariViewController, there were a few things which retained using the WKWebView implementation (namely some ad units). My guess is this probably unintentional but there are so few people left who understand the iOS codebase there. Even when I was there, iPad and Mac support was a passion project for many of us on the team.
Show threadRealist_NBGJul 11, 2023
@gruber why are you posting your #twitter problems on #mastodon? I thought #Threads is so great? 🙄
Show threadIan PhillipJul 11, 2023
@gruber Huh. I just tried this on the iPad app, and it opened the link per your screen grab. Then I long pressed the link and was able to open it in Safari from there, and now every link is back to opening in a Safari view. Conspiracy or bug?
Show threadAlbert KinngJul 11, 2023
@gruber When you will understand Elon doesn’t want you to have freedom within his app? Basically he is building an ecosystem.
Show threadMatt BirchlerJul 11, 2023
@gruber Their constant moves to make Twitter more of a silo are such a bummer.
Show threadJ.P. WingJul 11, 2023
@matt @gruber Honestly, after being on Twitter since the beginning, and struggling with a love-hate relationship with the platform for the past couple of years, which turned completely sour with the new regime, I wouldn't mind if the entire thing fell like a deck of cards, never to return.
Show threadDavid BennettJul 11, 2023
@gruber well that’s unpleasant. A long-press still brings up the normal pop up w/ Safari icon but still. Also that extra-bold heading for the URL is 🤮
Show threadThomas N (old account) Jul 11, 2023
@gruber yeah I have this on some accounts and not others
Show threadBrian LewisJul 11, 2023
@gruber It’s still there, though seems to go between full screen and a modal based on URL.
Show threadKonrad KołakowskiJul 11, 2023

@gruber Twitter is perfectly usable from iPad Safari - I use a lot of stuff this way - Facebook, YT, Twitter - much less issues.

I also think that Twitter can be „installed” as PWA on iPad homescreen as well... (I guess Mr. Musk didn't find out yet 😅)

Show threadSteve BarnesJul 12, 2023
I sure wish that feature was much more widely used, particularly with the care those features have been getting from the WebKit team in the last year.
Show threadGordon HughesJul 11, 2023
@gruber So I guess you come to the library when you want to learn something?
Show threadDr Abhishek RoyJul 11, 2023
@gruber Didn’t know you were still using #Twitter?
Show threadKennethJul 11, 2023
@gruber I noticed this in the Facebook APP, but I’m on iOS17, I guess that might be the cause.
Show threadJayJul 11, 2023
@gruber I noticed this too. My workaround is to long press the link and choose Share Via → Open in Safari.
Show threadMichael RoesserJul 11, 2023
@gruber Toggle the reader view option in settings and it comes back. Then turn it off and it is still there for me.
Show threadJeff Roy 🎬🍿☕️💻🐕🌴🖖Jul 12, 2023
@gruber The same thing happened to me yesterday! But now the buttons are back. Strange 🤷‍♂️
Show threadChase GJul 17, 2023
@gruber I’ve now seen this today, and it also revert back to old style. Hell of an app they’re running over there.