X is modifying its approach to links in an effort to retain you within the app.

X is trialing an update to how it manages links on iOS such that the buttons to like, reply, and repost remain consistently visible. Typically, clicking on a link in X redirects you to a full-screen page that obscures the initial post. This seems to result in lower engagement as fewer users like or interact with the content.

A significant number of users probably do not return to Twitter after following an external link. Therefore, the platform is collapsing the original post to the bottom rather than allowing the web browser to take over the entire display, moving closer to Elon Musk’s aspiration of X as an “everything app” from which you never need to exit.

It’s commonly expressed that posts containing links on X underperform. The announcement for this new feature suggests that it is due to how the interface diverts users away from X, thereby diminishing engagement.

Elon also mentioned in a post on X that there would be modifications to the recommendation system, which could enhance visibility for posts with links. He asserts that the company is within four to six weeks of “eliminating all heuristics,” indicating that likes and replies will carry less weight. Instead, he states that, “Grok will literally read every post and monitor every video (100M+ daily) to align users with the content they’re most inclined to find captivating.”

The transition to an AI-driven comprehension of a post’s actual content, rather than relying on a more rules-based system, has been a clear objective for X for an extended period. These alterations could result in broader reach even for accounts with a minimal follower count.