Apple Customer Support will now help you via Twitter
A dedicated customer service account will try to assist you directly as well as offer tips and tricks on Apple products and services.
Apple now provides technical support through Twitter.
Have a problem with your iPhone or Mac? You can now hop onto Twitter to seek out a helping hand.
On Thursday, Apple unveiled a new Twitter account called @AppleSupport. As Apple describes the new account: "We're here to provide tips, tricks and helpful information when you need it most, and if you have a question, well -- we're here to help with that too."
The account has already posted its first tutorial, one on how to turn conventional lists in the Notes app into checklists. Using screenshots, the tutorial takes you on a slideshow tour of the feature and shows you how to use it step-by-step.
Many companies, both tech and non-tech, have turned to Twitter as way of fielding questions and problems from customers. The option provides you with a quicker and more convenient way of contacting companies than phone calls or emails. Twitter also now lends itself to customer support accounts since people can send direct messages to companies that bypass the 140-character limit and include links and screenshots.
@AppleSupport has already proven popular with more than 36,000 followers less than three hours after it debuted on the Twittersphere. The account has also been busy responding to questions from around 300 customers. Some of the responses point people to Web pages that can help answer their questions. Other responses ask the people to send the account direct messages with more specific details on their problem.
You can send a standard tweet to the account if your question or problem is simple, or send a direct message if your question is more complicated or Apple needs a specific error message or other details.
The iPhone maker already has other Twitter accounts, including ones for Apple Music, the App Store, iTunes and the Beats 1 radio station. The company also has a support account for Apple Music called Apple Music Help. This is the first time Apple has set up a dedicated support presence on Twitter to cover all of its products and services.
Apple offers you support in a variety of ways, from phone calls to online tutorials to the geniuses at your local Apple Store. The new Twitter account fills a gap for Apple product owners who are accustomed to operating in the Twittersphere and are looking for a more immediate response to a technical issue.