Twitter wants to make sure its users’ voices are heard – literally. The social media site this week rolled out a new feature allowing people to record and post audio snippets, rather than simply writing out a text-based tweet. The tech company is billing audio tweets as a way to better convey tone and nuance on its platform, which has often been criticized for doing little to curb harassment and trolling of its users.

“There’s a lot that can be left unsaid or uninterpreted using text, so we hope voice Tweeting will create a more human experience for listeners and storytellers alike,” Twitter staffers Maya Patterson and Rémy Bourgoin wrote in a blog post. “Whether it’s #storytime about your encounter with wild geese in your neighborhood, a journalist sharing breaking news, or a first-hand account from a protest, we hope voice Tweeting gives you the ability to share your perspectives quickly and easily with your voice.”

Tweets with audio are rolling out on iOS and we only have one thing to say about it pic.twitter.com/CZvQC1fo1W

— Twitter (@Twitter) June 17, 2020

The new feature launched Wednesday, June 18, and is currently being tested on a limited group of people on iOS. Users with access to voice tweets can record up to 140 seconds of audio per tweet. However, if you have more to say, Twitter notes, you can simply keep talking, and a new voice tweet will start automatically, creating a thread.

How voice tweets will appear on your timeline. Photo courtesy of Twitter.

Audio tweets are only for original tweets, not replies or retweets with comment. And the art associated with each audio tweet will be a static image of your current profile photo, according to Twitter.

Audio tweets could pose a challenge for Twitter in terms of moderation. A spokesperson for the company told CNN that it’s working to add monitoring systems before rolling out voice tweets more broadly and that the company plans to review voice tweets that get reported as it would a regular text-based tweet. Twitter also has to work out how deaf or hard-of-hearing users will be able to access its audio tweets, according to The Verge.

Some are speculating that the new audio feature could be a game-changer for the platform, and that voice threads in Twitter could even give well-established podcasts a run for their money. It’s still too early to tell how the feature will be used, and whether it will be a boon or a bust for marketers, but it’s worth keeping an eye – or rather ear – on how voice tweets develop on the platform.