However, the availability of this feature is one of the required conditions for social media apps to be downloadable on smartphones.
Twitter CEO Elon Musk has announced that the "block" feature, which allows users to prevent other accounts deemed bothersome from following and commenting on their tweets, will be removed from the social network, now dubbed X. Responding to a tweet from the Tesla Owners Silicon Valley account, Musk stated that blocking will no longer be possible, except for private messages exchanged separately between two accounts. He further mentioned that the blocking feature "doesn't make sense."
Many Twitter users, however, have noticed that the ability to block other users is one of the conditions required for a social media app to be present on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, the two primary app distribution platforms. The option to block other accounts is primarily implemented on social networks to prevent contact with individuals who send threatening messages.
The potential removal of the blocking feature from Twitter could pose problems for the app's continued presence on smartphones and other mobile devices.
In response to another account, Musk added that muting other accounts will still be possible. This means users can ask the platform not to display tweets from a specific user without unfollowing or blocking them. However, the blocking feature serves a different purpose: it prevents the blocked user from viewing the tweets of the person who blocked them. This is different from a muted user who can still see the tweets. The only alternative to prevent specific individuals from viewing tweets would be to set the account to "private," limiting tweet visibility and comments to a specific list of approved accounts.