[It's official!] BREAKING: Tumblr testing new group chat feature, but 100 text blocks per post limit isn't new

NOTE: For all latest, breaking news related to Tumblr adult content ban as well as its alternatives, head here.

New updates are being added at the bottom of this story…….

Original story (published on February 6, 2019) follows:

Major changes are happening on Tumblr thick and fast. A few days back , we highlighted the new UI for the platform the company rolled out as well as the kind of reaction it received from users. Then, more recently, we shared how users are planning to switch to Citrus Scale to circumvent the NSFW content ban.

And now, more changes are coming to light. Firstly, we stumbled upon user reports (with screenshot proofs in some cases) that say Tumblr is now not allowing more than 100 paragraphs in text posts.

Needless to say, after the adult content ban, another limitation isn’t going down well with users. Here are some reports:

https://twitter.com/CynicalWonders/status/1092908845117116421
https://twitter.com/suprgrl1995/status/1092941089282113536
https://twitter.com/keeemberley/status/1092880405076660224
https://twitter.com/shachaai/status/1092935550422732800
https://twitter.com/spaztomato/status/1092860185335484418

Here’s a screenshot shared by a user:

We tried testing this at our end, and found such limit does exist on the Tumblr app. Following screenshot was taken on an Android phone after pressing the ‘Enter’ key one hundred times in a text post.

On the web, however, we could still easily get past the 100 paragraph mark. So, it appears, the limitation is currently only for Tumblr mobile users.

But is this a new change? Apparently NO.

Here’s a user tweeting about it last year:

More evidence in a Tumblr discussion from 2018 here.

And here’s a tweet from 2017 about the same limitation:

So it does look like someone got to know about this limitation recently, and thought after adult content ban, Tumblr has now introduced this change. And the news started spreading like a wildfire.

New group chat feature

But there’s definitely a new feature that Tumblr is planning to roll out (or in fact, has started rolling out). It’s group chat. Recently, a lot of Tumblr users have been noticing this new functionality where random users can enter a group chat centered around a topic.

Users also say posts in group chat get deleted after 24 hours. Here are reports from some of those who noticed this new feature:

pic.twitter.com/mZfoScRM3A

— master gave dobby a glock (@reanimus) February 6, 2019

https://twitter.com/himariuehara/status/1093007852044570624

Not everybody is seeing this new group chat feature at the moment, so very little is known about it. But one user gave more insight (we can’t confirm these claims though). Anyway, here it is:

Apparently the random group chats tumblr assigns you to now are going to be based on tags you use, so I could really easily end up in a chat full of nazi roleplayers because I reblog posts about world war 2 on tumblr.

Like with any other feature, some users may be happy getting a group chat option, while others won’t.

We are keeping a continuous tab on this development, and will update this story with more info as and when we come across anything newsworthy. Until then, do share your thoughts on this new group chat feature.

Guess what? The group chat feature is no longer a lab rat. With the app version 14.5.1, Tumblr users can now use the functionality. However, the 100 users limit is still there.

Oh, no. Oh, dear. We have awful news. We accidentally added group chats to Tumblr.

Each group chat can hold up to 100 members. To make matters worse, you can create and join as many group chats as your beating heart desires.

If you need some assistance to get accustomed with the feature, the devs have you covered.

To find existing group chats, just search for them in the app like you would any ol’ topic. If you don’t see what you want, consider being your own hero and making your own. Just tap the new group chat icon in the upper right-hand corner of your dashboard or simply swipe left from the dashboard. There you will see all of the group chats you own or use, as well as the option to make a brand new one by tapping the “+” in the right-hand corner. Make sure you’re using version 14.5.1 or you’ll be spared the horrors of good conversation and finding new friends.

(Source)

NOTE: PiunikaWeb has covered in detail the Tumblr adult content ban as well as the platform’s alternatives, check out all updates here.

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