14 DAY TRIAL // Twitter may be slowing down in the US, but it's showing no signs of stopping elsewhere. One feature, which seems to drive growth as much as anything else, is its mobility. Since its inception, users have been able to send tweets via SMS, but Twitter is now taking it to the next level with the announcement of a brand new feature, tweets, and photosharing via MMS in partnership with Orange UK.
“Today, not only has Orange UK turned on Twitter SMS, but it has added a first-of-its-kind special enhancement. Orange UK users can also send picture messages (MMS) to 86444 in addition to text messages because of a site that Orange UK has created called Snapshot,” Kevin Thau, the head of Twitter's mobile department, writes. “Twitter does not charge for this service. It's just like sending and receiving messages with your friends — your carrier's standard messaging rates apply.”
Although, at one point, it looked like Twitter was ditching the SMS feature for good, texting tweets is making a comeback thanks to a number of new deals with carriers around the world. In the UK, users could already send tweets via SMS with Vodafone and O2, by sending a text message to 86444. Now, Twitter has also added Orange to the list and the feature is available through the same shortcode.
But the second part of the new partnership is a world first, as users can now send in photos to be shared on Twitter by using MMS. The photos themselves will be hosted by Orange and the accompanying tweet will link back to them. The only drawback is the fact that the service isn't completely free, as users still have to pay for the MMS at the standard rates. This feature could be rolled out in other parts of the world eventually, but seeing the service coming from Orange not Twitter, there are no guarantees that it will.