It seemed Elon Musk had sailed through the choppy waters of rebranding Twitter to ‘X’, even cleverly redirecting x.com to the popular social media site. Yet, the universe of mathematical symbols doesn’t always align with digital norms. The apple of discord? The name ‘X’ is too concise for the Apple App Store’s taste due to the rules about minimum character requirements.
Twitter retains its identity on App Store
An updated Twitter application was launched this week for both Google Play and Apple’s App Store, catering to Android and iOS users respectively.
The face-lifted version proudly wears the ‘X’ emblem, and in certain scenarios, it’s referred to by the freshly minted moniker. Notably, BleepingComputer found Google Play’s Android app store page now bearing the name ‘X’, rather than Twitter. However, it’s still “Twitter” in the installed apps on Android, retaining the package ID: com.twitter.android.
A hurdle for iOS: character requirement for names
Strikingly, the Twitter iOS app’s rebirth as ‘X’ hit a roadblock on the App Store due to the character count mandate for iOS app names.
“Apple’s standard requires at least two characters for app names,” highlighted San Francisco’s Erik Berlin, shedding light on why the iOS app has only a new logo, not a new name. Although iOS app names can stretch to a whopping 30 characters, they can’t go below two, a constraint that Apple won’t compromise.
Potential workaround and echoes of inconsistency
Several Apple users reported spotting the ‘X’ app on their devices post-update, yet the App Store steadfastly upholds its naming rule. Berlin’s revelation spurred software developer to muse, “Could ‘X’ with a space, either before or after, work?” This suggestion was met with Berlin’s witty retort: “Musk already has SpaceX to his name!”
The hasty and inconsistent rebranding seems to be stirring trouble in more than one sphere—both legal and technical—for Twitter.
Wrapping it up
The narrative continues, the tech world watches, and questions abound. Is the rebranding a strategic masterstroke, or has Twitter bitten off more than it can chew? While we wait for the answers, we’d love to hear your thoughts on this. What’s your take on this development? Don’t hesitate to share your opinions in the comments section below.
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