Twitter now allows you share public tweets in Direct Messages

Twitter is moving towards making DMs (Direct Messages) more like the messaging apps that have captured the globe. But first, it wants to make sure you can share public tweets privately with your friends.

Today the micro-blogging service introduced its promised update to DMs. Now Twitter users on iOS, Android can share public tweets with others via DMs. To share a tweet, all you have to do is long-press on the tweet in question and you’ll be presented with “Share via Direct Message.”

On the Web and in Tweetdeck for Chrome, Web and Windows, the feature is under the •••More icon. For OS X users of Tweetdeck, the feature is “coming soon.”

Earlier this week Twitter updated its infrastructure so allow all users to send URLs via DMS.

Both of these updates are part of the company’s on-going strategy to not only give Direct Messages some love, but also make them a major player in the messaging wars.

While many Twitter users use DMs to chat with friends, followers and colleagues, it’s no where nearly as robust as other services out there including Facebook’s Messenger app, What’sApp (also part of Facebook) and Line. But the company is working change that.

In fact, group messaging, a feature long clamored for by veteran Twitter users, is coming in 2015 so more than two people can partake in a  private conversation. But this upcoming feature could also woo new Twitter users, tired of switching between multiple apps to chat, to start using the micro-blogging site as place where they hold actual conversations in addition to sharing 140 character status updates.

You can start sharing tweets via Direct Messages right now.