Twitter's non-chronological timeline is now opt-out

Twitter has rolled out the next stage of its algorithmic timeline, forcing a non-chronological selection of tweets to the top of users' feeds. Anyone wanting "Twitter Classic", will need to manually opt out of the new default setting.

Twitter has been slowly switching users over to the new format since at least 15 March. The latest documentation change adds: "Tweets you are likely to care about most will show up first in your timeline. We choose them based on accounts you interact with most, Tweets you engage with, and much more."

Visit the official Twitter app on Android or iOS or visit your feed on the website, and you'll now find a collection of tweets from people Twitter thinks you interact with most, rather than

the traditional linear view of tweets as they were posted. Currently, third-party apps continue to use time-posted order.

Just over a month ago, the feature was rolled out on an opt-in basis, with senior engineering manager Mike Jahr explaining the feature on the official blog.

"When you open Twitter after being away for a while, the Tweets you're most likely to care about will appear at the top of your timeline - still recent and in reverse chronological order. The rest of the Tweets will be displayed right underneath, also in reverse chronological order, as always," Jahr wrote.

The change to an algorithm-driven feed has not been welcomed by some users of the social network, but while it is the new default view, it is simple to deactivate.

To disable the feature and restore (chronological) order, you'll need to dive into your account settings. On iOS, tap through Timeline, then Timeline Personalisation, then turn 'Show me the best Tweets first' off. On Android, the option is directly under the Timeline setting. On the web, you'll need to click 'Profile and Settings' (the little icon on the top right of your homepage when logged in), then Settings, and uncheck the option under 'Content'. You'll need to re-enter your password to save the changes here, too.

CEO Jack Dorsey had previously moved to allay user fears of a Facebook-style forced feed, tweeting on 6 February "Twitter is live. Twitter is real-time. Twitter is about who & what you follow. And Twitter is here to stay! By becoming more Twitter-y."

Dorsey also tweeted that "We never planned to reorder timelines next week", after users had adopted the hashtag #RIPTwitter following rumours of an algorithmic rollout. He wasn't fibbing - it just took more than a week.