McCue says that Flipboard’s new social features predate Musk’s takeover of the company, and that he’s still a “Twitter believer.” But he acknowledges Flipboard’s shift is well-timed as some people are increasingly looking for different spaces to interact.

It says there’s already been a noticeable uptick in engagement in magazines where the new interactivity is enabled.The changes also help make Flipboard into more of an alternative to Twitter for those who primarily use the Elon Musk-run service for consuming news. The company has been quietly testing the updates since July. All the new features are out now on the web, and are launching on its iOS and Android apps in January.īy subscribing, you are agreeing to Engadget's Terms and Privacy Policy. The company is also adding a new “communities” section to its app, which will highlight magazines and specific curators (Flipboard’s term for the people who manage topic-based magazines) to follow. The idea, according to Flipboard CEO Mike McCue, is for these notes to become lively areas of discussion for people interested in the same “micro-communities.” Other members of the magazine can then jump in with their own comments and add to the conversation. To start, Flipboard is introducing “notes,” which allow users to add original content - whether it’s photos, video embeds, links or commentary - and add it to shared magazines. But with its latest update, the company is hoping to turn its signature magazines into the types of communities you might find on Reddit or Twitter. The service is adding new commenting and creation tools to its magazines as part of a broader “shift in emphasis towards community and conversations.”įlipboard has had commenting features for years, but it’s been fairly basic, and hasn’t been a prominent part of the service, which until now has mostly been known as a place to read and share articles rather than a destination to talk about them.

After more than a decade, Flipboard is adding a new layer of social features to its platform.

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