Twitter apps on Windows Phone

Although Twitter is deep integrated into the Windows Phone operating system you will however need a full fledge Twitter App if you regularly use and follow tweets. The deep integration is good but somewhat basic for advance users. Over the last couple of weeks I have been playing around with various Twitter apps and all of them have their own set of pros and cons. Lets look at some of the free and paid Twitter apps available in the marketplace:

Deep Integration (Built in Twitter on Windows Phone)

Twitter has been deep integrated into Windows Phone from version 7.5 (mango) and above. This means that you can just add a Twitter account and get your feed and contacts directly in peoples hub.

Pros:

• Easy Setup: Once you get over the hassle of linking your Twitter account with a Windows Live ID, the next time adding a Windows Live ID would automatically add Twitter to your email and account on the Phone.

• People Hub and Groups: Access your Twitter contact on peoples hub. Swipe to What's News to get all the latest feed from twitter. Reply or Retweet directly from Peoples Hub.

• Pin Groups or Single Contact: Since it is deep integrated, you can create Groups from People Hub and Pin the Group to the start menu. This way you will get all Tweets from the people in the group. Also you can Pin a specific Twitter contact to your start screen and get the latest tweets from that contact.

• Me Tile: The Me Tile shows all your Tweets, mentions and notifications. With the Me Tile you can also post directly to Twitter.

• Not an App: Not an app, so no issues of crashing or opening an app to check feed. Everything comes to you on your start screen through tiles and what's new

• Tweet Pictures and more: You can also get the latest pictures tweeted by your contacts under Pictures. Besides this you can just Tweet a picture from your camera album directly by tapping more - share - Twitter. It is very quick and easy.

It is to be noted that you can use the above features not only for Twitter but Facebook, Windows Live and Linked In as well. You can however filter out only Twitter feeds if required in peoples hub or post to only Twitter when posting a message from the Me Tile.

Cons:

• Hassle Linking Twitters to Windows Live: I never had a smooth go, there was some issue or the other. Firstly when I added Twitter, I had to go to Windows Live and link my account. Now when you go to Windows Live from a Desktop PC, Twitter is no longer available as a social service which you can have your profile connected to. Before it was there, but for some reason it is not there any longer. The only way to link it is through your phone. Also sometime the linking takes hours. This is because Microsoft Servers have to get the data and sync it for pushing it to your device. Some time linking happens very quickly. So you may or may not face any issues with the setup but there are some people who have faced issues.

• No Multiple Twitter Accounts: If you use multiple Twitter accounts, using the inbuilt Twitter system would be a no go. There is no support for multiple Twitter accounts at the moment.

• No way to follow a new user or view profile: Some retweet some one and you want to follow that user, you cannot. You cannot even view a profile page of a user you are not following. You can view profiles of your Twitter contacts only. So clicking @someone you are not following will just open the Twitter mobile site in IE9. Over there you can login and follow the user, view profile, etc

• No Way to Search or View Hash tag Results: No searching of tweets. Clicking on a hash tag just opens up the results in the IE browser.

Conclusion: I would not be looking at third party Twitter apps if there was a way to add multiple Twitter accounts. For me this is a must feature and the only real main feature missing in the deep integration. Besides this the experience in using the built in Twitter on Windows Phone has been and is excellent. It is one of the most easy, hassle free and quick way to get Twitter updates. Rest of the cons mentioned were not too big a deal for me.

MoTweets and MoTweets Pro

The only difference between the two versions is in app advertisements. You can try the free version and there is a top space reserved for ads. Even if the ads sometimes don't load, the space will be blank. The paid version is costing around $1.99.

MoTweets Pro (left) and MoTweets Free (right)

Pros:

• Multiple Account Setup: You can set up up to 6 Facebook or Twitter accounts. You can post from multiple accounts at once or while posting choose a specific account to post from.

• Instant Setup: Setup is very simple, open app and start adding accounts, it will take you to a Twitter Authorization page and you are done.

• Twitter functions and more: You can retweet, retweet with a quote, view a user profile, follow and unfollow user, mention someone, reply to etc within the app itself. Only links get opened though IE mobile, rest everything is within the app interface.

• Streams: This is the best feature of the app. You can define streams and move and arrange to your liking. This makes the app fully customizable. You can Stream from a wide range like: Search, current trends, local trends, near me, featured, image wall or an accounts inbox, outbox, favorites, retweets to you, retweets by you and your tweets retweeted.

• Quick Compose: You can actually pin the post message screen on to the desktop for quick access to posting new tweets. Really helpful and innovative feature.

• Ease of use in adding favorites: Just open a tweet and get easy access to add the tweet to your favorites.

• Sharing and translation of tweets: Easy method and ability to share tweets via email or sms. Translation is one of the best options and works like a charm for me. I am not sure what translation service is been used (Bing probably) but the foreign language gets replaced by English within the tweet itself, really simple and fast.

• Fast loading: The app loads pretty fast with the last downloaded tweets in the cache. Only when loaded it checks and downloads new tweets.

• Live Tiles for mentions and messages: You can pin the app to the standby and it will give you Live Tile flip updates for mentions and direct messages. There are no push notifications however.

• Easy Scrolling: Tapping on the top at your username alternates between moving to the bottom or the top of the page. A small but useful feature saving the hassle of manually scrolling up and down.

Cons:

• Limited Live Tile use: Live Tile only supports one tile for accounts. There should be an option to have separate live tiles for various accounts. Secondly the Live Tile shows only mentions or direct messages. I have no way of knows which account has been mentioned.

• No Integration in Pictures: Yes you can tweet a picture but it has to be from the app. There are other apps like MehDoh which are integrated into pictures hub. It means from the pictures hub you can tap on share a picture and then choose the app. It would not make much of a difference from where you choose your picture as long as you can tweet a picture.

• No Read it Later options: No option to read a tweet later on instapaper or readitlater.com. You can however share the tweet via sms or email.

• No Streams for specific users or groups: There is no way if for instance I want to add a Stream and view tweets from a specific user. When I view a tweet, I get an option to view user profile. From there I can browse and view user time line and mentions. But there is no way for me to add this to my streams.

Conclusion: MoTweets Pro is worth the money and removes the ads. It is one of the best Twitter apps which supports multiple accounts. I would however like to see some creative Live Tile and Pin function in the app. For instance I should be able to pin any profile and deep link to that user. So when I click a tile, it takes me directly to that user timeline screen. Plus there should be live tile support as well showing new tweets from that specific user only. There should also be an option to at least have separate live tiles for my own accounts. Nevertheless I highly recommend to try out this app if you want to use multiple Twitter accounts on your Windows Phone.

Reviewed App Version: MoTweets pro version 3.1.0

App Download: MoTweets Pro, MoTweets Free

myWindowsPhone Score: 8.5 / 10

TweetCaster and TweetCaster Pro

The only difference between the two versions is in app advertisements. The paid version is however a bit costly, currently priced at $4.99. This app is really neat looking and it is more like the default official Twitter app for Windows Phone with more features.

TweetCasterPro

Pros:

• Multiple Account Setup: You can have multiple twitter accounts.

• Instant Setup: Setup is very simple, open app and start adding accounts, it will take you to a Twitter Authorization page and you are done.

• Twitter functions and more: You can retweet with or without comments, view a user profile, follow and unfollow user, mention someone, reply to etc within the app itself. Only links get opened though IE mobile, rest everything is within the app interface.

• Advance Profile Editing: You can edit your profile in detail like on the twitter website and even upload your profile photo.

• Superb Interface and automated themes: The interface is just yummy. The themes are also automated, you get a dark or light background depending on your selection in phone settings.

• Ability to save a draft: When composing you can draft a tweet and post it later on.

• Read It Later , Sharing and translation of tweets: The app supports instapaper and read it later support. You can also send a tweet via email, plus there is a translation option to translate tweets as well.

• Support for Threaded Conversations: One great feature is you can view conversations. When viewing mentions, tap a tweet - menu and then tap conversations to view the entire conversation.

• Fast loading: The app loads fast with the last downloaded tweets in the cache. Only when loaded it checks and downloads new tweets.

• Support for Lists viewing and creation within the app: You can create new list, make the list public or private and browse your existing list. As far as I know this is the only app which allows you to create a list from the phone.

Cons:

• Expensive: A bit expensive for little improvements over and above the free and official Twitter App.

• No Live Tiles, Toast or Push notifications: Like the official Twitter app there is no Live Tile Support at all.

• Hassle to change accounts: No quick way to change accounts. Like in MoTweets you cannot add streams and hence you can view timelines, mentions, lists etc from one account only at a time. You need to change account again and again. You can however post a new tweet from any account without changing. There should have been a quick account change link at the bottom.

• Scrolling nightmare: No shortcut to move to the top or bottom of the screen like in Motweets.

• No Tweet cache options: There is no way for me to define the number of tweets to cache. I know the app uses cache because it loads tweets pretty quickly and then starts to retrieve newer tweets.

• No Integration in Pictures: You can tweet a picture from the app, but the app does not show up in the pictures hub.

• No Quick Compose: No way to quick compose like Motweets

Conclusion: To be honest the interface is very smooth. However The advantages over the default and official Twitter app is not worth the price. Adding Live Tile Support and quick switching accounts would make this app my default Twitter app on Windows Phone. It would definitely be worth the price as well.

Reviewed App Version: TweetCaster Pro version 1.7.0

App Download: TweetCaster Pro, TweetCaster Free

myWindowsPhone Score: 7.0 / 10

BirdSong

This is a paid up only app and is costing $0.99. The app has a unique interface and good customization options, however some of the features don't work (at least for me).

BirdSong

Pros:

• Multiple Account Setup: You can set up multiple accounts

• Instant Setup: Setup is very simple, open app and start adding accounts, it will take you to a Twitter Authorization page and you are done.

• Twitter functions and more: You can retweet with or without comments, view a user profile, follow and unfollow user, mention someone, reply to etc within the app itself. Only links get opened though IE mobile, rest everything is within the app interface.

• Customizing timelines: You can add and customize upto 5 timelines for each account. The timeline includes home, mentions, messages and custom search results. You can also arrange the timelines as per the order you want.

• Sharing of tweets: Tweets can be shared by email or sms.

• Fast loading and Smooth Interface: The app loads pretty fast and the interface is pleasant and does the work. The timelines all update at once. You when you scroll you get the latest mention or search results.

• Live Tiles for mentions and direct messages: Supports live tiles for mentions and direct messages but only for the account currently set as active. (This does not work for me see cons).

• Supports notifications and do not disturb mode: The app also has a setting to receive notifications for mentions and direct messages. There is also a do not disturb mode which will not push notifications during the time mentioned and will also turn off background task to save battery. (Does not work for me, see cons)

• Support for Threaded Conversations: App supports conversation. When viewing mentions, tap a tweet - tap on in reply to @username.

• Easy Scrolling: Tapping on the top at the title takes you to the top of the page.

Cons:

• Live Tile and Notifications do not work: Although the features are good, none of them actually work. I have tried this again and again over time and they simply do not work at all. If you check the reviews on the marketplace, many other users are complaining about this as well.

• No free add supported version: There is only a paid version for $0.99.

• No Integration in Pictures: You can tweet a picture from the app, but the app does not show up in the pictures hub.

• No Read it Later options: No option to read a tweet later on instapaper or readitlater.com. You can however share the tweet via sms or email.

• No Contact list or auto fill when composing a message: Ridiculous and a basic feature missing. If I have to compose a new tweet have to type in the entire @username. There is no option for me to select from existing contacts and there is no auto fill either.

• No Quick Compose: No way to quick compose.

• Hassle to change accounts: No quick icon to change accounts. You cannot customize timelines from various accounts. You can set only one account as live and view your custom timelines of that account only. You then need to go into more - accounts - select other account, to view timelines from that account.

Conclusion: Don't bother with this app. The reason why I am even writing about this is because of the popularity it has gained on the marketplace. The Live Tile and notifications don't work for me at least. Plus the no auto fill or contact list when composing a new tweet is a no go for me. You can try the app if you like, I would not recommend it.

Reviewed App Version: BirdSong version 1.6.0

App Download: BirdSong

myWindowsPhone Score: 5.5 / 10

Mehdoh

If you don't use multiple accounts definitely try this app. This is the best single account Twitter app I have used. Also the app is completely free.

Mehdoh

Pros:

• Free: Surprisingly this app comes for free and there are no ads in it. Even if there is a cost for this app, it is definitely worth it.

• Instant Setup: Setup is very simple, open app and start adding accounts, it will take you to a Twitter Authorization page and you are done.

• Twitter functions and more: You can retweet with or without comments, view a user profile, follow and unfollow user, mention someone, reply to etc within the app itself. Only links get opened though IE mobile, rest everything is within the app interface.

• Start Up Customizations: You can set which columns to update when you start up the app. You can minimize bandwidth use by turning off column updates unless you visit them. Also you can set what should be your current column when you start the app.

• Clean Interface and fast loading: The app has a very clean interface and I did not find any loading issues.

• Live Tiles and notifications: Live tiles and notifications are for mentions and direct messages only. They run every 30 minutes in the background. Live Tile shows info on the reverse side of the Tile and there are a few options to customize on how the reverse side of the Live Tile looks.

• Read It Later , Sharing and translation of tweets: The app supports instapaper and read it later support. You can also send a tweet via email, plus there is a translation option to translate tweets as well.

• Support for Threaded Conversations: Supports thread conversations. Open a tweet and just scroll to the right to view conversations (if any).

• Save for Later: The app supports instapaper and read it later accounts. You can save a tweet for later viewing if you have your account set up.

• Easy Scrolling: Double tapping on the top at the title takes you to the top of the page.

• Quick Compose: Like Motweets you can pin the compose screen to the start for quick composing a tweet.

• Picture Hub Integration: Open a picture and tap on more - share - Mehdoh to quickly and directly tweet from pictures hub.

• Pin individual contacts to start screen: You can pin an individual contact to your start screen for quick access. However it is not a live tile.

Cons:

• No Multi Account Support: Would love this app if there update it with multi account support.

Conclusion: This is one of the best Twitter apps in the Marketplace. The only downside I found was lack of multi account support.

Reviewed App Version: Mehdoh version 1.9.0

App Download: Mehdoh

myWindowsPhone Score: 9.0 / 10

Other Twitter Apps

There were other Twitter apps which I have given a try and have not reviewed. These are the Official Twitter App, Seesmic, Beez and Mahtweets.

Which Twitter app do you use on your Windows Phone?