Twitter releases optimized app for Android tablets

But for now it is only available on one Samsung device

Here is the good news for all of out there who own Android tablets: Twitter is finally optimizing its Android app for the devices. So... yay!

But, sorry to tell you, there is also some bad news: if you don't have a Samsung you're basically out of luck. At least for now, anyway. BOOOO!

Yes, Twitter announced Thursday that it is finally bringing an optimized app to Android tablets (a mere three years after bringing one to the iPad) but is only releasing it one device: the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1. Availability will come for more Samsung devices soon, with a rollout to other kinds of tablets scheduled to happen "by the end of the year."

In the meantime, for those of you who will be able to download the app, here is what you will be getting:

The app will come with a landscape view that "fills your screen with Tweets, conversations, Trends, accounts to follow and more." Simply by tapping on them, tweets will expand on the right side of the screen to display photos, links, video, article previews and other types of media. Tapping again will take these photos, videos etc and make them full screen.

Users will also get a multi-screen view, which will let them have Twitter open at the same time as another app. And they will be getting a widget for their home screen that will display "country specific" photos, news, music, sports and the like. 

And, lastly, users can use Twitter to draw on photos (like just Perez Hilton) or create their original artwork on a canvas. Users can use the S-Pen, which, not coincidentally, is available on the Galaxy Note 10.1.

Android tablets

Part of the reason for releasing this app may have something to do with the face Twitter is looking to expand internationally, looking to double the number of employees in its Dublin headquarters.

In Twitter's S-1 filing with the SEC, it was revealed that, of its 218.3 million monthly active users (MAUs), 49.2 millioncame from the United States, and 169.1 million came from international users. Its number of international MAUs jumped 47% from the year before. 

And the majority of the tablet-using world is now on Android.

In the second quarter of 2013, Android shipped out 34.6 million units, or 67% the worldwide market. From the first quarter, Android gained 15.6% of the market, while nearly doubling its units shipped. Meanwhile Apple, having not release a new iPad in that time, lost both marketshare and units shipped.

It is doubtful that this move will help Twitter before its IPO next month, especially since its only available to a small section of users right now, but having an optimized app for Android tablets will help the company out in the long run as it looks to hook in more users around the world. 

A Twitter spokesperson would not comment on why the company was choosing to release the app only on Samsung, or when exactly it would be available to other users.

(Image source: https://blog.twitter.com)