What is a Twitter wheel and how does it work?

wheel Twitter, also known as Twitter Circle, is a tool that allows the creation of restricted tweets for a select group of followers, selected manually by the account holder. The feature was released in beta on May 3, 2022, after spending months in development, and allows you to grant exclusive access to up to 150 people.

The concept is similar to that of “Close Friends” from Instagram, where the user chooses exactly who can follow sensitive stories and manipulate this list as he likes, without notifying (or removing) the people listed. However, the difference is that tweets are not temporary posts and allow direct interaction in comments.

How does Twitter Wheel work?

When available, the Twitter wheel is displayed as soon as the user starts a new post. The platform provides a list of followers, accompanied by a search bar, to add connections one by one. When you add people, this contact is not notified in any way.

A Twitter path can have up to 150 profiles, but the account owner can manipulate the list as he pleases (removing and adding followers at will). The reason for this particular limit is not known with certainty, however, since it is still an experimental tool, it is possible that the number will change at some point.

Once the list is complete, when creating a post, simply click the Select Audience button (usually above the text box) to choose the Twitter Circle. Also in this area the user has to go to edit the list of selected people.

Who can see tweets from the Twitter Wheel?

Only profiles selected by the user can view, like, and reply to the tweets posted on the Twitter Wheel. These posts have characteristics similar to those from closed accounts: they cannot be retweeted, cited, or viewed by unregistered accounts.

Twitter encourages users to comment on their thoughts with less shyness within Roda, but it’s important to note that these tweets are not protected from screenshots in any way. Therefore, users who can view your post can also take screenshots and share them with others without your knowledge.

What happens if you remove someone from the wheel?

When you add or remove a person from your Twitter wheel, the respective profile will not be notified by Twitter in any way. However, if the person belongs to the group and has already interacted with a secret post, they will see that the tweet is no longer available. Naturally, the alert indicates that her account is no longer included in the circle.

Who can use the Twitter wheel?

So far, Twitter has indicated that Roda will be a free feature available to all users – meaning you don’t need to be a Twitter Blue subscriber to take advantage of it. However, in the current testing period, the tool has received only a handful of accounts.

The selection of accounts appears to have been random, and in the case of the mobile app, an update may have to be downloaded (Android | iOS). On PC, the tool is available on the web version of Twitter and does not require updates.