Understanding the meaning of an icon or symbol in the Twitter app is extremely useful. Imagine pressing a random button, which sends the most recent photo from your gallery. Don’t worry. No button does this. To be on the safer side, you should be familiar with the meanings of all Twitter symbols and icons. That’s what we will do here. Let’s get started.
List of Twitter Symbols and Icons
Twitter Home Icons Meaning
Profile Picture
At the top-left corner of the Twitter app, you will find the profile picture icon. Tap on it to open the navigation drawer that houses Bookmarks, Topics, Lists, Settings, and more.
Tip: Find out what’s your Twitter handle and how to change it.
Bird Icon
The Bird icon in the middle of the top bar is Twitter’s logo. And hidden behind this logo is an interesting functionality. When scrolling through the feed, tap on it to quickly get to the top.
Sparkle Icon
The Sparkle or Star icon at the top-right corner lets you switch between the two timeline views. You can select from top/home view and the latest tweets.
Floating + or Feather Icon
At the bottom-right corner, you will always find a floating blue icon. It can either have a + or feather icon. This symbol lets you create new tweets and Spaces.
Now, let’s check the icons in the bottom row.
Home
The Home icon takes you to Twitter’s home screen or feed.
Search
Use the Search icon to search Twitter and also to find out what’s trending and read the latest news. It’s like an Explore tab where you will find things that could be important for you apart from your main feed.
Four Dots
This is the new icon that has been added recently to the Twitter app. It takes you to the Twitter Spaces section, which is audio rooms. These are similar to Clubhouse Rooms.
Bell
The Bell icon opens the notification section where you will see new notifications for likes, retweets, and mentions. The Settings icon at the top of the Notifications section lets you modify the notification settings.
Envelope Icon
You can view your Twitter messages folder by pressing the Envelope icon.
Twitter Navigation Drawer Icons Meaning
Inside the navigation drawer, you will find these icons.
User Icon
At the top-right corner of the navigation drawer, you have the user accounts icon. This icon lets you add multiple Twitter accounts to the app.
Once you add another account, the icon shows the profile pictures of all the added accounts. Touch and hold the icon to quickly switch between multiple Twitter accounts.
Light Bulb
The Bulb icon at the bottom lets you enable or disable Dark mode and also switch between Dark mode themes.
QR Icon
As expected, the QR icon lets you generate a QR code for your Twitter profile. It also offers a built-in QR code scanner.
Twitter Profile Icons Meaning
Envelope Icon
An Envelope icon is present at the top of the person’s profile. You might see it just for people whom you follow and others who have allowed messages. This icon, as obvious now, lets you send a message to the person.
Bell Icon With +
The Bell icon on the person’s profile will appear only if you follow them. It lets you enable account notifications from the person such that whenever the person tweets something, you will be notified about it.
Search Icon
Typically, you will have to use advanced search operators to find a tweet from a person if you use the regular search. The Search icon at the top of the person’s profile lets you search for tweets from that particular person without advanced operators.
Blue Tick
The Blue tick next to the person’s name indicates that it is a verified profile.
Lock
On some Twitter profiles, you might notice a lock icon next to the person’s name. This indicates that the profile is locked and its tweets are protected. That is, the tweets from a locked profile are visible to its followers only.
Tweet Symbols Meaning
Under every tweet, you will find the following four icons:
- Speech Bubble: This icon lets you reply to a tweet.
- Retweet: Use this icon to retweet or Quote a tweet with text, image, or GIF.
- Heart: Use the Heart icon to like a tweet. The Heart icon will animate when you are the first person to like a tweet.
- Send or Share: This icon lets you share the tweet with others via DM, outside of Twitter, copy the tweet link, and bookmark the tweet.
Compose Tweet Icons Meaning
When you are creating a new tweet, you will find the following icons:
Gallery
This icon lets you add an image or video to the tweet.
GIF
Use this icon to attach a GIF to your tweet. Learn how to download GIFs from Twitter.
Poll
With the Poll icon, you can create a poll in your tweets.
Location
This icon allows you to include a location with your tweets.
Character Counter
Twitter allows only 280 characters per tweet. When you begin typing a tweet, the Character counter circle will slowly start turning blue indicating the character limit. Once it reaches the end, it means you have reached the 280-character limit.
+ (Add)
The + symbol on the tweet composing screen lets you add an additional tweet to the current tweet. These tweets will be linked together in a way that anyone reading them will be able to read them like a thread.
Globe Icon
This icon lets you customize who can reply to your tweets. The available options are everyone, people you follow, or only people you mention.
Double-sided Arrow
When replying to a tweet, you will notice a double-sided arrow in the reply box. Tap on it to expand the typing area.
Twitter Direct Messages (DM) Symbols Meaning
Heart
The Heart icon with an attached + sign lets you add an emoji reaction to the message. Tap on it to reveal the available emoji reactions.
Grey Tick
The grey checkmark under the sent message means that that the message has been sent successfully from your end.
Blue Tick
A single blue tick means that the person has seen your message.
Waves
The Waves icon lets you create and send voice messages.
Enjoy Twitter Life
I hope you understood the meaning of Twitter icons and symbols. On the Twitter web, you will find an additional clock icon that lets you schedule tweets. Also, find out how to have a blank name on Twitter using symbols. If you are an advanced Twitter user, check out the best Chrome extensions for Twitter.
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Mehvish
Mehvish Mushtaq is a tech lover from Kashmir. With a degree in computer engineering, she's always been happy to help anyone who finds technology challenging. She's been writing about technology for over six years, and her favorite topics include how-to guides, explainers, tips and tricks for Android, iOS/iPadOS, Windows, social media, and web apps. You can also find her work on Make Tech Easier, Guiding Tech, and Nerds Chalk
