How to use Twitter on an iPhone X or Above
Introduction
Have you wanted to connect with friends and family, even when they’re hundreds of miles away? Read about important events all around the world?
Twitter is a social network constructed around Tweets, short messages of 280 characters or less, almost like short bulletin board postings. It’s focused around connecting people, allowing you to follow other users to see their Tweets and reply to them to join the conversation. While most of the people on Twitter will be strangers, you can follow friends and family to stay connected with what’s going on in their lives.
This manual is intended for people who are unfamiliar with technology and social media platforms who have an iPhone X or later. If your iPhone has a "notch" at the top of the screen and no buttons on the front, your phone falls within these guidelines. You should be comfortable with basic usage of your phone- making calls, sending texts, and using apps.
Twitter is a public app on the Internet, so following Internet safety rules is critical. In general, don’t trust what people tell you (if you think it’s a family member, call them to verify if they are asking for money/personal information), don’t click on links you don’t trust, and don’t share anything you wouldn’t tell a stranger.
While using this manual, be aware that Twitter uses a practice called A/B Testing. This means some screens may look different from what is presented in this manual, and each person may see a different order of screens and popups while using Twitter. If you ever feel confused by a screen, look through the rest of the manual to see if it's explained elsewhere. If it's not, try following the instructions on your phone. Remember: everything you do can be changed later, so don't worry about messing anything up.
This manual will include instructions for:
- Downloading Twitter
- Creating a Twitter account
- Setting up your Twitter profile
- Following your friends
- Sending Tweets
- Liking Tweets
- Retweeting Tweets
- Replying to Tweets
Within this guide, hazards and warnings will be presented in yellow callouts like this one.
Notes and tips, however, will appear in blue callots like this one.
Following all the instructions in this guide should take about 15 minutes.
1. Download the Twitter app
Twitter works best as an app on your phone. In this part, we'll download the app onto your phone.
a. Touch the App Store icon 
on your phone.
at the bottom of the screen.
Figure 1: Search bar in the App Store
Figure 2: Twitter listing in the App Store
Make sure you're selecting the official Twitter app! It should look exactly like the screenshot to the right.
Figure 3: iOS app download confirmation screen
Figure 4: Twitter listing in the App Store after the download is complete
You'll have to wait for Twitter to download before this button appears. Depending on your internet speed, this could take a few seconds but can sometimes take up to ten minutes.
2. Create an account
In order to use Twitter, you need an account. Accounts are free, and only take a few minutes to create.
Figure 5: Twitter's launch screen
Figure 6: Account creation form
If you'd like, you can use your phone number in the second field. If you prefer reading texts to reading emails, entering your phone number may be a better choice for you. This is only used to access your account and send important account notifications.
Figure 7: Twitter's screen asking you to allow tracking
While you don't need to do this, disabling tracking protects your privacy on the web. If you choose to leave this switch on, you may receive more relevant ads, but Twitter will be allowed to collect personal data on you.
Figure 8. Screen confirming the personal information you entered:
Figure 9: Email/phone confirmation screen
If you used your phone number to register, check your text messages instead of your email.
Figure 10: Password creation screen
For maximum security, make sure your password is at least 12 characters and isn't used for any of your other accounts. The easiest way to make up a memorable password is to use a combination of three random words. For example, cheese.rain.UPSIDE1021
3. Add a profile picture
One of the best ways to express yourself on Twitter is through a profile picture. In this part, we'll add a profile picture to your account.
Figure 11: Profile picture placeholder
Figure 12: Photo library selection screen
Figure 13: Twitter's image cropping tool
Figure 14: Image crop confirmation screen
4. Set up your profile
Now that you gave a profile picutre, we need to fill out the rest of your profile. In this part, we'll set up your interests, bio, and data preferences.
Figure 15: Bio editing screen
Your bio is something everyone can see at the top of your Twitter profile. Some people put jokes in their bio, some put their job, and some put their age. It's entirely up to you what you include in here!
Twitter sends a lot of notifications and this can be overwhelming for new users. Once you get used to Twitter, you can change you notification settings; it's much easier to opt-in to notifications than it is to opt-out.
Your contacts can be used to build a marketing profile on you and helps Twitter track you across the web. It's recommended to personally ask your friends for their twitter @usernames.
Figure 16: Topic selection page
These help Twitter make your feed more interesting.
Figure 17: Twitter's follow suggestions, based on the topics you chose
Following accounts adds their Tweets to your feed.
Figure 18: Username selection screen
Your username can be changed and is how people follow you on Twitter. Make it memorable!
5. Follow your friends
Now that your account is set up, you can follow your friends. Following your friends adds their Tweets and likes to your Home feed.
For example, you can use @_jacksonwelsh to find mine.
Figure 20: Example profile row in the search results
Figure 21: Twitter profile header
6. Send a Tweet
"Tweets" are how you express yourself on Twitter. Each Tweet can have up to four images and is up to 280 characters long. Tweets you send will be shown to your followers and can appear on other peoples' timelines if your friends like or retweet them.
Figure 22: Compose Tweet button
Figure 23: Compose Tweet screen
Be careful what you post, since anyone in the world can see it!
7. Like a Tweet
When you like a Tweet, you show the author appreciation for posting it. Tweets you like may be shown to your friends and can be browsed from your profile.
Figure 24: Tweet before being liked
Figure 25: Tweet after being liked
Be mindful of what you like, as anyone can see the Tweets you've liked.
8. Retweet a Tweet
If you want to add a Tweet to your profile, you can retweet it. This Tweet will be shown to your followers as if you posted it yourself.
Figure 26: Tweet before being retweeted
Figure 27: Retween confirmation screen
This adds the Tweet to your profile. You can touch "Quote Retweet" to add additional commentary to the Tweet.
9. Reply to a Tweet
If you want to join the discussion about a Tweet, you can reply to it.
Figure 28: Reply button
Figure 29: Reply screen
Conclusion
With this information, you should be able to navigate and participate on Twitter with ease! Once you follow your friends and family, you'll see their Tweets and likes populating your home page and be able to interact with them whenever you want.
Now that you understand the basics of Twitter usage, you might be interested in learning some more advanced topics like Direct Messages, polls, and hashtags- those are all covered in our Advanced Twitter Guide.