X Developing 'Dislike' Button for Downvoting Replies
Elon Musk's X, formerly known as Twitter, is working on a new downvoting feature to enhance the ranking of replies. Although the company hasn't officially announced these plans, recent findings suggest the downvote feature might resemble a "dislike" button rather than a traditional Reddit-style downvote icon. Code references in the X iOS app show a broken heart icon next to the heart-shaped "like" button and direct mentions of a "downvote" feature.
Back in 2021, when it was still Twitter, the platform experimented with downvoting before Musk's acquisition. That initial test included both upvoting and downvoting on all posts. However, the current tests indicate that X may only allow downvotes on replies, aiming to highlight better replies at the top of long threads while pushing less-liked replies down. This change could deter users from posting inflammatory content just to generate engagement through dislikes.
Earlier this month, reverse engineer Aaron Perris (@aaronp613 on X) discovered references to a downvote feature in X's iOS app. He later found image files indicating the button might be styled as a broken heart, along with more direct references to the feature. Screenshots shared on X show several new references to "downvoting," including prompts like "Do you want to downvote this post?" and instructions to "Downvote this post." This wording suggests X might be considering downvotes for all posts, not just replies.
Another user, @P4mui on X, shared videos of the dislike button in action, showing it was available on replies for now, though it's unclear if this will change. The button was also seen on an X employee's account in a demo video, which was quickly deleted and reposted without the dislike button.
The growing number of sightings indicates that public tests of the dislike button are likely underway. This potential feature is part of broader changes to X's "likes" system under Musk's ownership. Recently, X began hiding likes from public view, allowing users to like more controversial content without affecting their image.
