Twitter recently introduced a subtle yet powerful feature it calls ‘app graph’. Through this, Twitter will be tracking the apps Android and iOS users have installed on their mobile devices to offer a more personalized experience by suggesting who to follow and occasionally promoting certain tweets depending on your interests as learned by Twitter. Not exactly a privacy fiasco for users, but it can be irksome for a few, and luckily, you can now opt out of this feature as well.
You would know that you have opted into the program with a notification prompt once it goes live on your account. Fortunately, opting out is straight forward as well.
Step 1: If you haven’t opted into the feature as yet, given that you have not received any notification from Twitter, simply turning on Limit Ad tracking on iOS (Settings > Privacy) will keep you out of Twitter’s new ‘app graph’. Android users can navigate to Google Settings > Ads and check the Opt out of interest-based ads option.
Step 2: However, chances are high that you are here because Twitter has already opted you in. Run the Twitter app and tap the Settings icon on iOS, or the Menu button on Android.
Step 3: Now tap Settings > Accounts and look for the “Tailor Twitter based on my apps” checkbox. Simply uncheck the option to disable Twitter from tracking your apps and opt out of the personalized experience at the same time. If you do not find the option listed, it means that the feature has not gone live on your account as yet.
There are over a million apps for iOS and Android at the moment, it is unlikely that Twitter will be diving in with all of them to include in their database for offering the personalized experience; in fact, it would rather be focusing on the top ranked apps on the App Store and Google Play to start with.
Given how Twitter is starting to roll out this feature to a broad range of users around the globe, it’s recommended that you follow the above steps to make sure you you’re at ease, unless you want things to be otherwise.
Do share your thoughts with us on Twitter’s new ‘app graph’ feature.
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