Twitter Update Introduces GIF Search To Social Network With Giphy, Riffsy

Twitter has finally joined the GIF games. Last year, Facebook opened up Messenger to allow for third-party apps, which meant searchable GIFs courtesy of launch partners like Riffsy and Giphy. Now, Twitter is partnering with those same two companies to let its users search and share GIFs directly on the network.

GIFs (graphics interchange formats) have long been a part of Twitter. More than 100 million of them were shared on Twitter last year, the company says. With this update, it will be even easier for users to find and tweet GIFs, whether publicly or in a direct message.

“Whenever you’re composing a tweet or direct essage, you can search and browse the GIF library. So if you’re looking for the perfect cat yawn or dance move to express exactly how you feel, just click the new GIF button,” a blog post on the update reads.

Twitter shared the news by tweet-storming with four GIFs on its corporate account.

The move comes as Twitter has been struggling on the stock market. This month, the stock reached record lows. At the fourth-quarter earnings report last week, Twitter reported a drop in monthly active users. Leaked evidence from Twitter API data shows that the number of tweets shared is down as well, a Business Insider report revealed.

Could GIFs save Twitter? The medium has become a popular form of conversation. Indeed, GIF-focused companies have emerged as Silicon Valley success stories. Giphy, one of Twitter’s partners, announced $55 million in new funding at a $300 million valuation on Tuesday. Riffsy last raised $10 million in August 2015.

“So much can be expressed with GIFs, and the key is to find just the right one in the moment that quickly and efficiently expresses your emotions,” said David McIntosh, CEO and co-founder of Riffsy, in a statement.

GIF search will be introduced to all users over the coming weeks on iOS, Android and twitter.com.