Twitter Windows Phone app gets new navigation bar and new Live tile options

Windows Phone 8 Twitter app

The official Twitter app for Windows Phone was overdue for an update, and that update finally arrived today as Twitter has upgraded its design and features. Following the lead of the recent redesigns for the Android and iOS versions of the app, Twitter for Windows Phone now has Home, Connect, Discover, and Me tabs to access the core areas of the network. The new tabs are accessible via a large gray navigation bar that takes up a sizable portion of the screen. Other than the benefit of being able to search or send tweets from anywhere, the changes actually make the Twitter app look less attractive.

On the bright side, Windows Phone users now have a consistent set of features found on other platforms. Home shows tweets and and previews to certain content when touched; Connect shows mentions, retweets, and follower notifications, Discover shows trends and suggestions; Me shows DM's, lists, favorites, and profile information.

Twitter has also added new items that can be pinned to the Start screen. In addition to the standard Live Tile that shows mentions, users can create Live Tiles for searches, lists, or specific Twitter accounts. To create a new Live Tile, perform a search for a term, visit a profile, or view a list and tap the pin icon.

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