Twitter 4.0 app brings connect and discover features, more to iPhone only

The Twitter app for iPhone (universal) has been updated to version 4.0 to go along with changes to the web interface. However, these changes are for the iPhone alone. The iPad version will remain as is for now.

The update introduces a redesign of the iPhone's interface that streamlines the iOS version of Twitter to match the announced web version, which our sister site Engadget notes is similar to changes announced for Gmail. The menu bar is divided into Home, Connect, Discover and Me sections.

The Home section is the typical timeline, and selecting a tweet allows reveals who has replied to it, who has retweeted it and embedded images.

The Connect section shows who has followed or mentioned you. It also shows retweets of your tweets as well as favorites. This is a feature that's popped up on the web interface in the past few weeks. You can toggle this screen to show any interaction with your Twitter account or just show tweets that mention your account.

The Discover section shares trending stories and interests. It's where you explore hashtags and get suggestions on who to follow.

The Me section is where you'll find your direct messages, which is one of the biggest changes to the app. Twitter's Bryan Haggerty shared some nice shortcuts to access direct messages without having to actually tap the Me button. Swipe upward on the Me button from anywhere in the app, and it'll bring up your direct messages. Swipe to the left on the Me button change accounts.

The overall changes will take some getting used to, but some of the changes are really nice. I like being able to follow an ongoing conversation easier via the iPhone and the new shortcut for accessing direct messages. Check out our gallery of screenshot from the updated app or download/update it now from the App Store to peruse the new features yourself.