X is set to enhance its publishing capabilities with a significant update to its API, allowing external applications to create posts up to 4,000 characters long. This new feature, introduced in the latest API version (V2), aligns with X’s broader strategy of expanding content options and functionality. The update is particularly aimed at developers and third-party tools, which will now be able to support longer posts and better integrate with the platform.
The 4,000-character post length is a notable increase from the previous 280-character limit and reflects X’s commitment to offering more expansive content options. These extended posts will appear in users’ feeds with a “Show more” prompt, allowing them to read the full text. This change follows X’s February 2023 announcement to increase post limits for X Premium subscribers, enhancing the platform’s ability to accommodate more detailed and lengthy content.
In contrast to the new 4,000-character posts, X also offers a separate feature called X Articles for Premium+ users. X Articles allow posts up to 100,000 characters, equivalent to around 30,000 words, but this feature is not yet available through the API for third-party apps. The ability to create X Articles via external tools is still under development, with the aim of further expanding the platform’s content capabilities.
The update is part of Elon Musk’s vision for X as an “everything app,” which aims to integrate various functionalities such as payments, shopping, and banking within the platform.
This vision was part of the rationale behind rebranding from Twitter to X, reflecting an intent to broaden the app’s use beyond its initial scope. Although these features are still in development, the introduction of longer posts marks a step toward realizing this comprehensive vision.
While the expansion to 4,000 characters may encourage more in-depth posts, its impact on user engagement remains uncertain. The longer format could appeal to X Premium users who already share lengthy updates, but it remains to be seen how widely it will be adopted. In the meantime, X is focusing on increasing direct content posting and reducing the prominence of link-based content to drive more engagement within the app itself.
