Twitter's Testing a Way to Block Someone Without Unfollowing Them

Twitter is testing yet another feature that could become a mainstay on the platform: one that would remove a follower without unfollowing them altogether.

The social network tweeted on its official Support page on Tuesday that it would test the feature on the web only for now. Twitter said the feature would make it "easier to be the curator of your own followers list."

By clicking "Remove follower" from your follower list, your tweets won’t appear on their timeline, according to The Verge. However, it’s important to note this soft blocking feature is different than blocking someone, since you’ll still be able to send/receive direct messages from a person you remove as a follower. 

Previously, if you wanted to "soft block" someone like this, you had to block someone and unblock them right after, effectively making them unfollow you without them even knowing it. Twitter making an actual feature out of this concept is big, so you won’t have to jump through hoops to get the same result.

This test is the latest Twitter has announced to try out new ways for users to experience the platform. For example, in June, Twitter announced it would test Super Follows and Ticketed Spaces as a way for users to monetize their content on the platform. The Super Follows feature—initially announced in March—helps users earn monthly revenue on Twitter by offering an extra level of content and interaction as a monthly subscription.

Meanwhile, Ticketed Spaces allows users to create unique and exclusive audio experiences within Twitter’s Spaces feature that audiences will have to pay to listen to. Twitter said the prices would range from $1 to $999.