Twitter announced it will pull the plug on disappearing content feature Fleets on 3 August, admitting it failed to attract enough user engagement towards the short-lived functionality.

In a blog, VP of product Ilya Brown explained the company did not record the uptake expected for its Fleets service since its launch in November 2020.

Instead, Twitter will use its conclusions from the failed attempt in other ways to boost engagement, among which is a test to incorporate elements from Fleets including a full-screen camera and text formatting when sharing media files.

The company will also examine the reasons behind “the anxieties that hold people back from tweeting” and how to encourage them to participate.

Another effort will be put into assessing the performance of full-screen adverts, which were tested within Fleets.

Brown acknowledged many updates Twitter pushes “are speculative and won’t work out”, but if the company didn’t evolve its approach and shut some of its features it was “not taking big enough chances”.

Ephemeral content options have been previously adopted on WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook and other platforms.

However, when Twitter stepped into the field, it faced concerns from users over the potential for harassment.