X adds Custom Timeline
- X launched a ‘Custom Timeline’ feature powered by Grok to let users personalise their feeds more directly. - The feature provides more user-directed personalization rather than relying solely on opaque ranking algorithms. - This experiment follows a broader platform trend toward giving users explicit control over feed composition and signals about ranking (eastleighvoice.co.ke).
X has started rolling out Grok-powered “Custom Timelines,” a new feed option that lets people pin topic-specific streams to the X home tab instead of relying only on the default “For You” ranking. (theverge.com) The feature was announced on April 22 by X head of product Nikita Bier and is available first to Premium subscribers on iOS. X says users can choose from more than 75 topics and add them alongside “For You,” “Following,” and pinned Lists. (techcrunch.com) X told TechCrunch the feeds are not built from simple keyword or hashtag matching. Instead, the company said, Grok reads posts, assigns topic labels, and then personalizes each topic feed based on the user’s interests and prior engagement. (techcrunch.com) In practice, the tool gives users a more direct way to shape what appears in the app’s main navigation. TechCrunch reported that people can pin up to 10 topics or Lists, reorder them, and swipe across those feeds from the home tab. (techcrunch.com) The rollout lands as X is also changing how people gather around interests on the platform. TechCrunch reported that X is shutting down Communities at the same time it pushes Custom Timelines and group-chat links, shifting from member-run spaces toward AI-curated feeds and chats. (techcrunch.com) The idea is not unique to X. Engadget noted that the new feature resembles custom feeds on Bluesky and Threads, while Social Media Today said Twitter had tested swipeable topic feeds years ago before Elon Musk’s takeover. (engadget.com) (socialmediatoday.com) X is also pairing the launch with a separate “snooze topics” control for the “For You” tab. Reports on April 22 said Premium users on iOS and web can hide a topic from recommendations for 24 hours, giving the company a second way to collect explicit preference signals. (piunikaweb.com) The early version still carries X’s business logic with it. TechCrunch found that the second slot in each custom feed was occupied by an ad, suggesting the new timelines create more places for X to sell inventory inside the app. (techcrunch.com) For now, X is treating Custom Timelines as an early-access Premium feature on iOS, with Android support still in development. That means the company is testing whether people want more control over what they see — but only after paying for it. (techcrunch.com)
