Tech

Explained: What is Twitter’s new image description feature and how does it work – Times of India

March 10, 2022
Bharat Times

Twitter Is working on a new accessibility feature that will help users better understand the content in the image. This feature will use the alt text description given by the users while sharing the image on the platform. The move was announced by the Twitter Accessibility Team in an official post. “We’ve got a lot of feedback on how to improve the image description (or alt text) experience on Twitter. Today, we’re launching 2 features for 3% Twitter on Android, iOS, and the web: Public ALT Badges and exposed image details.” read the post
“If you have access to these features, a black rectangle with the white letters ALT, spelled ALT, will appear on images with an image description. This is also called ALTER or ALTER TEXTS.” Read the Twitter thread further. With the new feature, users will be able to see an option in the lower right corner of the screen. On tapping on it, users will be able to see the image description. Adding image description allows people who are blind, low vision, using assistive technology, living in areas with low bandwidth, or with cognitive disabilities to contribute to Twitter.
How to Add Alt Text or Image Description to Twitter

  1. On the Twitter app, select the image you want to share.
  2. After selecting the image, tap on the +ALT icon in the lower right corner of the image.
  3. Enter your picture description. It is worth noting that the image description can be up to 1000 characters long.
  4. Tap on Done in the top right corner of the screen.
  5. Share Tweets whenever you’re ready.

Twitter is reportedly also working on a ‘leave this conversation’ button. As the name suggests, the button will allow you to leave a Twitter thread. For those who don’t know, a Twitter thread is a series of conversations that begin when someone replies to a tweet.