Using the mobile web version of Twitter? Get ready for updates

Using mobile.twitter.com on your browser of an older smartphone? Get ready for an updated version of the site.

Twitter announced in a blog post on Wednesday that it overhauled the mobile version of the site, simplifying the screen and making it easier for tweets to load on feature phones, among other changes.

The mobile version will now look more like the company’s new web version, which it rolled out in December, simplifying the main feed and providing tabs for “connect” and “discover,” as well as improving the platform for brands.

On the new mobile update, the company said it went through several design options before picking the final version:

We completely overhauled this client from the ground up, a process that resulted in a lighter-weight, faster client that looks and feels like twitter.com and our mobile apps. The app was overdue for an update on many fronts and we took the opportunity to refresh it inside and out.

The company explains that it worked through a variety of different designs to create a mobile version that works on a variety of smartphones and feature phones, as Kevin Fitchard wrote for GigaOM, since Android and iPhone users tend to use the designated Twitter apps for those devices.

See the screenshot below, which compares the new and old versions of the mobile site:

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