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Twitter is chaotic right now, but it is good news for app developers pushing their creations as new platform alternatives for troubled Twitter users. One includes the invite-only iOS app Spill, created by two former Twitter employees laid off after Elon Musk took over the company.
#Spill fam – excited to share we have released SPILL beta 1.2.1 to the 🍎 App Store ☕️
Includes a variety of fixes and new feature "Stacks" – Spill up to 8 cards of text or mixed media in one Spill
Download and join waitlist for the daily code drop – https://t.co/nrxtLBtYQt pic.twitter.com/Pt6zJ1ye60
— SPILL (@SpillMob) July 4, 2023
The app gained attention, especially last Saturday when it hit the top spot for download charts in App Store. Its two black developers, Alphonzo Terrell (former global head of social and editorial at Twitter) and DeVaris Brown (former product manager lead at Twitter), promote the app as an ideal platform for the black community. In an interview with TechCrunch, Spill was highlighted as a platform with AI designed by black individuals who understand the cultural context in the speech of the black community.
“We’re going to be more intentional and be more accurate around things that will be deemed offensive because, again, this is our lived experience or learned experience,” Brown told TechCrunch. “It’ll be much more accurate to catch those kinds of things that will detract from the platform, that would not lend to creating a safe space for our users and our creators.”
The rise of Spill on the App Store follows Musk’s decisions to limit the number of posts users can view daily. Specifically, the business magnate said verified accounts could view 10,000 posts daily, while it would be limited to 1,000 and 500 posts per day for unverified accounts and newly created unverified accounts, respectively. This caused an uproar in the Twitter community, with some believing that it was one of Musk’s moves to push more users to embrace Twitter’s subscription service. Spill, on the other hand, finds the new controversy as a gateway to attract new users, leading to a spike in iOS downloads recently.
The app works by creating posts, which involve using large text captions over media content, such as pictures, GIFs, and videos. Currently, the app is now in its beta 1.2.1 version, with new features added as part of a recent update:
- New Stack Spill feature. Spill up to 8 cards. All text, all media, mix/match and tell your creative story.
- Updated Colorways (Black Tea, Green Tea, Hibiscus)
