Elon Musk’s X May Be Testing ‘Dislike’ Button on iOS as a Way to Downvote Posts

Code references have reportedly been discovered for the dislike option in the X app for iOS, hinting at a heartbroken emoji-style icon.

Written by Shaurya Tomer, Edited by Manas Mitul | Updated: 12 July 2024 18:03 IST

Elon Musk’s X May Be Testing ‘Dislike’ Button on iOS as a Way to Downvote Posts

Photo Credit: Reuters

X first announced that it would be testing a downvotes feature on iOS in 2021

Highlights

X for iOS is reported to be testing a new option for disliking
It is said to appear as a heartbroken icon alongside the like option
Elon Musk’s X recently made a decision to hide ‘likes’ from the platform

X (formerly Twitter) may be testing a new feature aimed at increasing engagement on the platform by allowing users to downvote posts on iPhone. According to claims on social media, the feature may appear as a ‘dislike' option in the form of a heartbroken icon, instead of a Reddit-like downward arrow. The experiment was first reported in 2021 and a recent discovery of code references related to the feature hint at its ongoing testing.

Dislike Button on X

According to a post on the microblogging platform by user @aaronp613, the ability to dislike posts could be introduced soon on the X app for the iOS platform. Code references have reportedly been discovered, hinting at a heartbroken emoji-style icon for dislikes, similar to the like option which appears as a heart icon.

The ability to dislike posts are coming to the X for iOS app as well pic.twitter.com/rWk5mkRcip
— Aaron (@aaronp613) July 11, 2024

Strings of text also seem to appear in the app's code. As per the user, one of the strings reads, “Do you want to downvote this post?”, while another is simply presented as “Downvote this post”. However, it is unclear if the ability to downvote would be available for both posts and replies or just the former, considering that the code has only mentions of “posts”.

X – back when it was Twitter – first announced that it would be testing a downvotes feature on iOS in 2021. It was reported as part of a “small research experiment” that added upvote and downvote options for replies. The microblogging platform confirmed that downvotes weren't public, while likes could be seen by everyone, until an update made them hidden last month.

Notably, another user @P4mui posted a video clip of the alleged downvoting option in function. However, the clip suggests that the option is only for replies and not for posts on the microblogging platform.

Le nouveau bouton dislike en action (appelé downvote en interne), pour le moment c'est uniquement prévu pour les réponses

X 10.49@xDaily pic.twitter.com/ZVgk8izTt1
— P4mui  (@P4mui) July 11, 2024

Hidden Likes

In addition to a rumoured ‘dislikes' feature, Elon Musk's X recently made a decision to hide ‘likes' from the platform. This means posts liked by a user won't be visible on their profile under the likes tab. Consequently, the entire section has been removed. It is just one of the many changes introduced on the microblogging platform since Elon Musk's takeover in 2022.

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Shaurya Tomer

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Shaurya Tomer is a Sub Editor at Gadgets 360 with 2 years of experience across a diverse spectrum of topics. With a particular focus on smartphones, gadgets and the ever-evolving landscape of artificial intelligence (AI), he often likes to explore the industry's intricacies and innovations – whether dissecting the latest smartphone release or exploring the ethical implications of AI advancements. In his free time, he often embarks on impromptu road trips to unwind, recharge, and ...More