Twitter launches Moments service in the UK to show you the world's best tweets

Twitter has launched a major new feature in the UK that replaces the microblogging service's frantic news feed with "Moments" - organised collections of tweets about news and events.

The new feature, which can be accessed via a new "Moments" tab on the Twitter app and website, is designed to make it easier for new or casual members to use Twitter.

The UK is the first country in Europe to get the new feature, after it launched in America in October. The service will be gradually made available to the more than 15m UK users from Tuesday afternoon.

On pressing the Moments tab, signified by a lightning bolt alongside the bottom of the app, users are greeted with a choice of moments, such as the Star Wars premiere, last night's Chelsea match, and Tim Peake's space launch.
Selecting them lets you scroll through a series of tweets, along with images, videos and GIFs included within them, around the topic. For example, a moment about the Star Wars premiere includes tweets from showbiz and culture publications, and actors from the film.
Users can also browse different areas, including news, sports and entertainment to see moments about those subjects.
Other moments include "10 tweets to start your day", "Meat Free Monday dinner inspiration" and "Tourist for a day: Amalfi Coast", which display a series of tweets around a subject, rather than a particular news event.
Moments are put together by a team of editors in London, but Twitter has also teamed up with several organisations, who produce their own. These include the Premier League, VICE, Sky News, the Economist and BuzzFeed.
Since it was founded in 2006, Twitter has gained millions of dedicated users who enjoy the fast-paced, real-time nature of the service. However, it is struggling to have the same mainstream appeal as the likes of Facebook and Instagram, which are seen as more accessible.
Moments is seen as a way to make Twitter easier to use for people who want to dip in and out of it, rather than stay glued to the main feed all day.
Joanna Geary, who leads Moments in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, said: "Twitter is absolutely part of the national conversation in UK across everything from sports to TV to politics to local news and music. Previously you may have felt you could only keep up by following thousands of accounts; with Moments, we do that for you.
"And while a single moment is a temporary follow, it’s a great way to find out about fellow users you might not normally connect with. It’s all about making it simpler and easier than ever before to get the very most out of Twitter."