Twitter redesigns Android app, updates iOS and mobile web apps with new cards support

Twitter has given its official Android app a thorough redesign — an update that’s been long-awaited ever since Android 4.0 was first released. It has also updated its iOS and mobile web apps, but Android sees the most significant changes. For those running Android 4.0 or greater, the app now is now native, and it has a new visual design that more closely follows the “holo” Android style guidelines — though it retains its own quirks. Users can now switch between the four tabs — home, connect, discover, and me — by swiping across the screen, and new animations can be found across the app. Most significantly, the app has improved tweet detail pages that fill the entire screen with content, and simple features like username and hashtag suggestions are now included. Unfortunately, the changes likely won’t sate those who’ve criticized the first-party app in the past: performance does not appear to be markedly improved, and it can still be clunky. For example, the settings menu is buried away under the “me” tab.

The iOS, Android, and mobile web apps have all been updated to support the new cards functionality announced yesterday, and tweets sent from other apps like Foursquare will now include links that can open up those apps straight from Twitter.