Twitter shortens tweets to 117 characters to accommodate URLs

No, it's not your Twitter apps, folks. It may be the URL you're placing in your tweet.

 

Starting February 20, Twitter has been shortening tweets that include a URL to as few as 117 characters, due to changes in how Twitter's t.co link wrapper handles URLs.

 

"In short, the condensed links now take up a bit more space, leaving you with a little less space to add commentary with them. In total, the update represents a two-character drop per tweet," reported tech site Mashable.

 

Twitter allows messages of up to 140 characters.

 

Mashable said the change, announced last December, extends the maximum length of t.co wrapped links from 20 to 22 characters for http URLs, and from 21 to 23 characters for https URLs.

 

Because of this, it said tweets sent with a URL will be reduced to 118 characters with http URLs, or 117 for https links.

 

"Applications that use t.co wrapped lengths are required to accommodate the new lengths starting Wednesday," Mashable noted. — TJD, GMA News