Twitter is finally taking messaging more serious, will remove 140 character limit for DMs in July

We’re hoping this is just the first of many new changes coming to Twitter since appointing a new CEO. The decision to remove the 140 character limit from DMs (direct messages) may not be related to a new CEO, but it’s a welcome change none the less. Twitter has long imposed a 140 character limit when posting anything — even direct messages — creating an unique challenge for those looking to share links to articles and videos.

One could argue that the boom of short URLs on the internet sprouted out from these restrictions as Twitter grew into one of the biggest social networks in the world. But now with the world moving over to actual messaging services like Messenger, WhatsApp and Snapchat, it’s time for Twitter to start taking messaging more seriously.

We imagine it’s only a matter of time before Twitter launches some sort of stand-alone messaging service. It wouldn’t be too far fetched what with the purchase of services like Vine or Periscope. Twitter will remove the 140 character limit for users starting in July and if you’re a developer, you can read up more on what this means for you and your 3rd party Twitter apps via the link below.

[Twitter]

Kik’s latest update makes it one of the few messaging apps that lets you upload video from your gallery

There’s no shortage of messaging applications out on the Google Play Store, but Kik is sets itself apart thanks to wide adoption, and its super easy sign up. Simply choose a username, password, and you’re all set. You wont need to provide anyone with your full name or email address in order to chat with friends, adding a sort of anonymity to the service.

While there’s plenty of messaging applications that allow you to take and send video (don’t worry, it should be coming to Hangouts eventually), Kik’s latest update ups the ante by giving users the ability to upload videos straight off their gallery/camera roll. It’s absolutely perfect for sharing videos you’ve already taken. For the vast majority of folks, these should be most of videos you’d want to share with friends while chatting.

Just like with their photos, expect Kik to compresses the videos down to Snapchat-like video quality. Given their user base, we don’t think many people will have issue. Bandwidth isn’t cheap and Kik is free after all. You can grab the update right now on the Google Play Store if you’d like to give it a shot. Now, if only they could add GIF uploads I’d have even more reason to use it.

Kik (Playboard) | Kik (Play Store)