What Do Symbols and Icons Mean on Twitter AKA X - TechWiser (2024)

Confused by the various icons and checkmarks showing on your Twitter feed, especially after the rebranding to X. You’re not alone! This guide covers the meaning of all the common Twitter symbols and icons. Let’s get started.

Twitter (X) Homescreen Icons Meaning

Top Navigation Bar Icons

1. Profile Picture: Tap on it to open the navigation drawer that houses Bookmarks, Topics, Lists, Settings, and more.
2. X Icon: The X icon in the middle of the top bar is Twitter’s new logo that replaced the original blue bird icon. When scrolling through your Twitter feed, tap on this icon to quickly get to the top of the feed.
3. Cog Icon: Tap this icon to change your timeline settings, such as changing the order of lists.

Bottom Navigation Bar Icons

4. House: The Home/house icon takes you to Twitter’s home screen or feed whenever you are on some other screen. You can also use it to go to the top of the feed.
5. Magnifying Glass: Use the Search icon to search Twitter for tweets and find out what’s trending. It’s like an Explore tab where you will find things that could be important for you apart from your main feed.
6. Forward Slash: This icon represents Grok, which is Twitter’s AI-powered search assistant. Please note only Twitter premium users can use this feature.
7. Two Person Icon: This icon takes you to the communities page where you can explore and see existing communities.
8. Bell Icon: Tap this icon to see your notifications about likes, retweets, and mentions. The Settings icon at the top of the Notifications section lets you modify the notification settings.
9. Envelope Icon: This icon opens your inbox where you can send or receive new messages.

Tip: Find out what’s your Twitter handle and how to change it.

Symbols Under a Tweet i.e., Engagement Icons

1. Speech Bubble: This icon lets you reply to a tweet.
2. Two Curved Arrows: Use this icon to retweet or quote a tweet with text, image, or GIF.
3. Heart: Use the Heart icon to like a tweet. The Heart icon will animate when you are the first person to like a tweet.
4. Bar Graph: The number visible next to the graph shows the number of times the tweet has been seen.
5. Bookmark Icon: Tap this icon to bookmark the tweet. When you bookmark a tweet, the other person doesn’t know.
6. Share: This icon lets you share the tweet with others via DM, by copying the tweet link, and you can also bookmark the tweet.

New Tweet Icons

1. Gallery: This icon lets you add an image or video to the tweet.
2. GIF: Use this icon to attach a GIF to your tweet. Learn how to download GIFs from Twitter.
3. Two lines with two circles: This icon lets you add a poll to your tweets.
4. Location: This icon allows you to include a location with your tweets.
5. Character Counter: This icon indicates the number of characters left. When you begin typing a tweet, the Character counter circle will slowly start turning blue indicating the character limit, which is 280 characters for free users. Once it reaches the end, it means you have reached the 280-character limit.
6. + Icon: The Plus icon lets you add an additional tweet to the current tweet. These tweets will be linked together in a way that anyone reading them will be able to read them like a thread.

Reply Screen Icons

When you open any tweet, you will see a Camera icon at the bottom-right corner. Tap this icon to capture a new photo or video you can send as a tweet. In addition to that, you will also see the icons that are available on the new tweet screen. the only additional icon is the Double-sided arrow icon. Tap on it to expand the typing area.

Twitter Navigation Drawer Icons

1. Three-Dot Icon: Tap this icon to add or switch between multiple Twitter accounts.
2. Sun Icon (Earlier Light Bulb Icon): Tap this to switch to dark mode and customize its settings.

Icons on the Profile Screen

1. Search Icon: The Search icon at the top of the person’s profile lets you search for tweets from that person without advanced search operators.
2. Money Icon: Tap this icon to copy the user’s Bitcoin address.
3. Envelope Icon: This icon lets you send a message to the person. You might see it for people whom you follow and others who have allowed messages.
4. Bell Icon With +: Tap this icon to enable notifications from the person. That is, you will be notified whenever the user posts something. This icon will appear only if you follow them.

Additional Icons:

1. Person Icon: Tap this icon to unfollow the person.
2. Logo Icon/Affiliation Badge: On some profiles, you might see a company’s logo. That means the account is affiliated with that particular company. The account could be of a person working in that company or an account linked to the company. For instance, there’s a Meta login in the official WhatsApp’s Twitter profile. Similarly, Elon Musk has the X logo next to his name.
3. Pink Person With the Star: It represents Super Follow, a premium subscription service that gets you access to exclusive content from the user. Tap this icon to subscribe to the user. It will also show up next to profiles that Super Follow you.
4. Lock: This indicates that it’s a private profile i.e., the profile is locked and its tweets are protected. Please note that tweets from a locked profile are visible to its followers only.

Tip: Learn how to pin someone else’s tweet on your profile.

Twitter Checkmark Icons Meaning

You will find the following checkmark icons next to a person’s name:

• Blue Tick: It means that the account is verified for being a notable or public figure or the user is subscribed to Twitter Premium aka Twitter Blue. Currently, there is no way to differentiate between the two.
• Gold or Yellow Checkmark: It means that the account belongs to a company or an organization i.e., it is an official account of the company. For instance, you will see it next to brand accounts like KFC, ZARA, WhatsApp, etc.
• Grey Checkmark: It means that the account belongs to a government official or organization. For instance, you will see it for President accounts of different countries like POTUS, Prime Minister accounts like Justin Trudeau and other official accounts.

Twitter Direct Messages (DM) Symbols

1. Video Call: Tap this icon to video call the person.
2. Phone Icon: Tap this call to make an audio call.
3. Heart with a + Sign: The Heart icon with an attached + sign lets you add an emoji reaction to the message. Tap on it to reveal the available emojis.
4. Gallery Icon: Tap this icon to send existing or new images to the person.
5. GIF: Tap this icon to send a GIF.
6. Waves: Use this icon to send voice messages.

Also Read: Know what happens when you block someone on Twitter.

Twitter Spaces Icons

1. Red Microphone Icon With a Bar: This means the person is muted.
2. Wave Icon: This indicates the person is currently talking.
3. Big Microphone Icon: Tap this icon to request the host to allow you to speak in the Space.
4. 2-Person Icon: Tap this icon to view the participants of the Space like hosts, co-hosts, speakers, and listeners.
5. Heart with a + sign: Tap this icon to send an emoji reaction to the Space.
6. Share: Use this icon to share the Space with others.
7. Chat Bubble Icon: Tap this icon to open the Space’s feed where you can interact with other users via tweets/posts.

Additional Icons

• Floating + Icon (Earlier Feather Icon): Present at the bottom-right corner of the home screen, tap this icon to post something on Twitter. You can even create a Space or go live using this icon.
• Purple Star: This icon shows up in notifications and represents recommended tweets. Basically, the tweets that Twitter thinks you might be interested in.

Icons No Longer Available

• Grey Tick: The grey checkmark under the sent message means that the message has been sent successfully from your end.
• Blue Tick: A single blue tick means that the person has seen your message.
• Four Small Circles: It takes you to the Twitter Spaces section.
• Tip: In the earlier versions of the app, you could also see the QR code icon at the bottom. This icon allowed you to create a QR code for your Twitter profile.

I hope you were able to find the icon whose meaning you wanted to know. Did I miss any icon? Let me know.

Mehvish

Mehvish Mushtaq is a tech lover from Kashmir. With a degree in computer engineering, she's always been happy to help anyone who finds technology challenging. She's been writing about technology for over six years, and her favorite topics include how-to guides, explainers, tips and tricks for Android, iOS/iPadOS, Windows, social media, and web apps. You can also find her work on Make Tech Easier, Guiding Tech, and Nerds Chalk