Hello again,

We are very happy to announce that Opera has become the first major browser to integrate Twitter, which is now available in the sidebar. In the newest version 69 of the Opera browser for desktop, all the Twitter fans among you can get the best possible experience on your desktop computers. 

Opera specializes in providing unique features not typically found in other major browsers and comes with a built-in ad blocker and tracker blocker, free browser VPN, Crypto Wallet, and integrated social media messengers. 

The new Twitter feature follows shortly after we launched built-in Instagram support and reached a record number of users in March 2020. 

A better Twitter experience

According to a survey we conducted ahead of the launch, 62% of Twitter users in the US wish for the social media platform to be easier to use on their desktop computers.

Twitter users think it should be easier to access Twitter on their PCs and we agree: we have now tweaked Opera to make it the perfect browser for them.

Thirty-nine percent of the Twitter users who participated in our survey check the platform several times a day. Using the new Twitter feature directly in Opera makes it more convenient for you to scroll through your feed or search Twitter.

The use of a keyboard and a large display makes tweeting or sending direct messages more convenient. Using Twitter directly in the browser’s sidebar is also more convenient than picking up your smartphone or opening a special client app on your PC, especially when it’s breaking news you want to follow. The sidebar integration makes it easier to find Twitter whenever it’s needed.

In simple terms: Whether it’s a Throwback Thursday or a #Caturday, no one likes to waste time looking for the tab where they last opened Twitter.

Having Twitter built into Opera gives you quick access to your main feed, the search function, as well as direct messages, allowing you to respond to unfolding events more quickly. 

To enable Twitter in the Opera browser, you simply have to click the three-dot icon at the bottom of the sidebar and tick Twitter in the Messengers section. With the Twitter icon now in your sidebar, you can log into a Twitter account and you’re all set: you can use Twitter directly from your browser.

All your social media services integrated in your browser

With today’s Twitter integration, Opera is proving once again that it’s the best browser for social media. We have already introduced built-in support for Instagram, Telegram, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and VKontakte in previous releases. After choosing the social media of your choice, it remains always at hand directly in your sidebar.

Twitter Survey results

Opera’s Twitter survey (conducted via Pollfish) gathered responses from 1,000 American internet users concerning how they use Twitter and what their interests are. The respondents were mostly interested in using the platform to find out about breaking news (44%), to keep up with news in general (49%), to pass time (44%) and to see what people are talking about while watching TV, sports or live events (26%).

As far as popular hashtags go, #Staysafe was known to 53% of people, followed by #HumpDay (51%), #tbt (36%), #FoodieFriday (35%) and #MondayMotivation (31%).

A new weather widget

The newest version of Opera also includes a new weather widget on the start page. It welcomes you with Opera’s hometown of Oslo but once you set it to your location, it keeps you informed about the weather wherever you’re located.

Improved visual tab cycler

Remember our visual tab cycler (Ctrl+Tab)? We have now improved it by making more tabs visible and making the tiles larger.

Improvements to Workspaces

We just wouldn’t be ourselves if we didn’t continue tweaking our most recently added features. Workspaces, a tool which allows you to group tabs according to the context you use them in, is no exception.

With Opera 69 we have added an option to the context menu which allows you to open a link in one of your Workspaces. And once you do open a link in a different Workspace, or move a webpage between Workspaces, you now get a notification dot on the Workspace that you have moved it to.

If you’re a MacOS user, the Window menu will now also display a list of your Workspaces.

That’s it for now. We hope you enjoy our new release – feel free to Tweet about it.

Happy browsing!

The full changelog.

Installation links:

• Opera Stable for Windows
• Opera Stable for macOS
• Opera Stable for Linux – deb packages
• Opera Stable for Linux – RPM packages
• Opera Stable for Linux – snap package

newsOpera for computers

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