Twitter link previews are broken on iPhone; iMessage, Slack users report issues

iPhone users have reported issues with link sharing via iMessage as generic links are being generated without any context. Here’s what you need to know.

Twitter links are being generated with a generic “twitter.com” message. (Unsplash)

If you've recently shared a Twitter link with someone via iMessage, then you must've noticed something is wrong. Instead of the usual rich media preview of the tweet, generic links are being shared with just “twitter.com” written, without any context. Usually, sharing links on iMessage means that the receiver gets a preview of the tweet without the need of opening it. Moreover, an image also pops up in the link if more than one media attachments are present in the tweet, but at the moment, the previews are not auto-generating.

According to a 9to5Mac report, the issue is not only plaguing iMessage but also Slack, another instant messaging platform. We at HT Tech also tried to send a tweet, but the preview only shows the “twitter.com” text instead of the rich media preview.

The report further states that this might be an issue due to a disconnect between Apple and Twitter servers. The issue also resembles the Lockdown Mode of the iPhone, which is an extreme, optional protection for the iPhone.

How to fix it

The issue is not severe and only affects the link previews. If you wish to see the content that is shared, you can simply click on the link to open the Twitter app or website. However, this is not the first time that preview links have been found broken.

The same issue also occurred last year when Twitter previews were broken and generic links were being shared. The Messages app contacts a specific endpoint to gather the necessary information for displaying a well-formatted inline tweet bubble. The problem was found at Twitter's end and was resolved soon after.

The issue was resolved fairly quickly last year and it is expected to get rectified soon this time around as well.