Here's how to get 280-character tweets on Twitter right now

new york climate march protest megaphone woman shouting angry speech

Twitter just made its biggest change since it launched more than a decade ago.

It has doubled the maximum length of tweets, up to 280 characters from 140 — but not everyone can use the new feature just yet.

For now, it's being tested with a small subsection of Twitter users, before a potential roll-out to the rest of the user base in the coming weeks.

But Twitter users have noticed that with a small tweak, it's easy for anyone to activate 280-character tweets right now.

One option comes via @Prof9. To activate it, you need to install a Chrome extension called TamperMonkey, which is available here. (We saw this option via The Verge.)

Here's a quick TamperMonkey script that force enables 280 character tweets in the Twitter web client.https://t.co/uUhW0CKekS
— Prof. 9 (@Prof9) September 27, 2017

After that, go to this script @Prof9 wrote and click the "raw" button, and then "install" when prompted. Just like that — you've got 280-character tweets!

Alternately, if you're up to playing around in the code yourself, @rpy offers a more technical option:

breakpoint the twitter webapp at line 17915 in commons.en.js and then run
n.a.user.deciders.cramming_ui_enabled = true
n.a.user.deciders.cramming_feature_enabled = true
on the javascript console and you get 280 char tweets
— the result respecter (@rpy) September 27, 2017

The reason these work is basically that the code that dictates whether a user has access to the new 280-character limit is stored on the users' computers, rather than Twitter's servers — so it can be tweaked.

this is a bad idea this is a bad idea this is a bad idea this is a bad idea this is a bad idea this is a bad idea this is a bad idea this is a bad idea this is a bad idea this is a bad idea this is a bad idea this is a bad idea this is a bad idea this is a bad idea this is a bad
— Rob Price (@robaeprice) September 27, 2017

The change has predictably caused controversy however — with some users suggesting that the limit doesn't need to be altered, and Twitter should focus its resources elsewhere.

Twitter: A lot of people are getting abused on our service so we're rolling out louder megaphones.
— Oscar Williams-Grut (@OscarWGrut) September 27, 2017

The guys running Twitter haven't got a clue. The problem is that new users don't get engagements so swiftly quit after joining. That's it.
— Sam Bowman 🌐 (@s8mb) September 27, 2017

Speaking as one of the small group of people who've been selected to test the 280 character limit, please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please change it back you dreadful people.
— Mike Bird (@Birdyword) September 27, 2017

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