Twitter adds "mute" feature so users can tune out over-sharers

The next time you want to ignore your favorite celebrity's nonsensical rants or an annoying, over-sharing friend on Twitter, you can choose to "mute" them.

Twitter announced the addition of a mute feature on its website, as well as Android and iPhone apps, in a blog post on Monday. The feature will allow users to get more control over the content they see by letting them hide an unwanted user from their feed without actually having to un-follow them.

"In the same way you can turn on device notifications so you never miss a Tweet from your favorite users, you can now mute users you'd like to hear from less," writes Paul Rosania, a product manager at Twitter.

Muting a user on Twitter means that their tweets and retweets will no longer be visible on your timeline without them knowing you've muted them. However, the "muted" user will still be able to favorite, reply to and retweet your tweets, Rosania adds.

The latest in a string of Twitter announcements, which included the Facebook-like redesign and Instagram-like photo features, this one may be a welcome addition for many users of the social media site.

The announcement did not come as a complete surprise, as some users were reporting the quiet addition of the mute feature earlier this month, according to The Verge. Third-party Twitter clients, such as Tweetbot, have long supported muting.

The mute feature is not available to everyone yet, but the company plans to roll it out in the coming weeks.

To mute someone on Twitter, simply click on "More" at the bottom of the tweet and then "mute" @username. If they ever wanted to unmute the user, visit their profile and click on the red mute icon to unmute, according to Twitter's Help Center.