X is testing a change in method Handles links on iOS So that the Like, Reply, and Repost buttons are always visible. Normally, when you click a link on the X, the page opens and covers the entire original post. Obviously, this results in a decrease in the number of people clicking “Like” or interacting with the content.
A large portion of people may not return to Twitter at all after following an external link. So the company is collapsing the original post to the bottom, rather than letting the web browser take over the entire screen, moving toward Elon Musk’s vision of X as an “app for everything” that you never have to leave.
It’s a common complaint posting links on X Doesn’t perform well. The post announcing this new feature seems to suggest that it’s because of the way the interface leads you away from the X, thus reducing engagement.
Elon also said in a Share on X There will be changes to how the recommendation system works, which could lead to increased reach of linked posts. He claims the company is four to six weeks away from “deleting all inferences,” meaning likes and replies will have less of an impact. Instead, he says, “Grok will literally read every post and watch every video (over 100 million per day) to match users with content they are most likely to find interesting.”
The shift to an AI-based understanding of the actual content of a post, rather than a rule-based algorithm, has been an obvious goal of X for some time. These changes can increase reach even for accounts with very few followers.