New Twitter feature makes viewing app content, downloading easier

Twitter introduced a new tool for developers Tuesday that will improve the way the social network interacts with mobile apps.

With the new feature, users tapping links to apps included in tweets will be able to view the content directly within those apps, rather than on Web pages as they did previously. If users don’t have those apps installed, the tweets will include links to their device’s digital store so they can quickly download them.

The new feature -- called mobile app deep-linking -- makes things easier for users and should be a big help to app developers. Twitter boldly promises developers that the feature will give them “more downloads for your apps,” according to the main page of the Twitter developer site.

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Mobile app deep-linking is part of an improvement to Twitter Cards that the company announced Tuesday. Twitter Cards are what users see when they expand tweets that include links.

The update brings two other new features to Twitter Cards.

The San Francisco social network told developers that Twitter Cards for products will now show users an image and description of the product as well as two other fields where developers can include more product information, including pricing.

And the update will make it possible for users to view entire photo galleries, rather than just single photos, when they expand tweets.

The new Twitter Card features will also be visible on the social network’s mobile apps, which were updated Wednesday.

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