Twitter to close the door on its Windows TweetDeck app
TweetDeck users will still be able to use the Web version of the dashboard to manage multiple Twitter accounts.
Twitter is redirecting users of its Windows TweetDeck app to the Web version of TweetDeck.
The days are numbered for TweetDeck's standalone app for Windows.
On April 15 Twitter will end support for the app, which lets you create a dashboard to manage multiple accounts simultaneously and get a better handle on Twitter when following lots of others. The microblogging site said Thursday that though support for the Windows app will end, you'll still be able to get the same experience from the Web version.
The move is geared toward "enhancing your TweetDeck experience," Amy Zima, a Twitter product manager, wrote in a company blog post. "Nothing is changing about TweetDeck itself, just where you access it from."
Twitter, which acquired TweetDeck in 2011, has in recent years cut back on app support to focus on its Web presence. The San Francisco-based company officially pulled the plug on TweetDeck for Android and iPhone, as well as the Adobe AIR desktop version, in 2013.
It wasn't immediately clear how long app users on other desktop operating systems could expect support for their TweetDeck apps. The Mac version, which was last updated in July, is still available in the Mac App Store, as is the Chrome version.
Twitter did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the fate of those apps.
The consolidation is among myriad moves Twitter has made in the past year to renew interest in its microblogging service, which at one time was the epitome of trendy and up-to-the-minute. But consumers now have many options for keeping up with friends, celebrities and the news, from an ever-expansive Facebook to hot alternatives such as Instagram and Snapchat.
Twitter's troubles are reflected in the numbers: Its user growth has ground almost to a halt. In the fourth quarter, the company had 320 million monthly active users, the same number it had the preceding quarter.
To attract new users and increase their activity, the company has been working to freshen the look and functions of the service, which turns 10 years old on Monday. In the fall, for instance, it introduced a feature called Moments, which curates tweets, videos and images of major trending events including sports and breaking news.
Twitter also said Thursday that TweetDeck users will now be automatically logged in to TweetDeck if they are already logged into Twitter, a move Twitter billed as making it easier for users to move among frequently used tools.