Twitter to test long-awaited edit button

Twitter said Thursday it is testing a feature that would let users edit their tweets after they’ve been published, a much-anticipated development that has stirred some debate among its most fervent fans.

“If you see an edited Tweet it’s because we’re testing the edit button,” the social media platform said in a tweet. “This is happening and you’ll be okay.”

Twitter said in April that users will soon be able to tweak their posts with an edit button, adding that the feature has been its most requested for “many years.”

Twitter said on its blog the edit feature is being tested by its team internally. 

“The test will then be initially expanded to Twitter Blue subscribers in the coming weeks,” the company said, adding, “even if you’re not in a test group, everyone will still be able to see if a Tweet has been edited.”

The feature will allow users to make changes to “fix typos, add missed tags, and more,” the company said.

For the test, Twitter will allow tweets to be edited a few times “in the 30 minutes following their publication” and will appear with an edit label to make it clear to readers the original post was modified. 

Tapping on the edit label will allow viewers to see the tweet’s edit history, including past versions of the tweet. 

Twitter said the time limit and version history will “help protect the integrity of the conversation and create a publicly accessible record of what was said.”

This is a developing story, check back for updates.

Marlene Lenthang is a breaking news reporter for NBC News Digital.