Twitter extends length of Vine video clips, adds new functionality

Twitter is extending the length of videos allowed on its short video-clip service Vine and is launching new functionality to enhance the video viewing experience on the site.

The social media site is extending the limit on video clips from 30 seconds to 140 seconds, matching the number of characters permitted in Tweets. Selected publishers will continue to be able to post videos of up to 10 minutes in length through Twitter’s professional publisher tools.

Twitter is initially enabling the 140-second limit with a small group of creators who can add a video of up to that length to their six-second Vine, turning the latter into a trailer for a bigger story.

Twitter has also enabled a full-screen viewing mode for Vine. Users can tap on a video Tweet or Vine on their timeline to take them to a full-screen viewing experience where more videos and Vine Tweets will be suggested.

The new functionality will be rolled out “soon” on Twitter for iOS and Android, the company said.

Twitter is also launching Twitter Engage, a new companion app, available from today, that provides real-time data and insights that Twitter says are designed to enable content creators to quickly understand, engage and grow their audiences.