X tweaks algorithm to prioritise friends’ posts, reduce ‘battleground’ replies

3 min readJul 14, 2026 04:32 PM IST

The new algorithm aims to make conversations on X feel more community-focused and less hostile.(Image: Reuters)

X has rolled out a new algorithm update designed to make conversations on the platform feel less hostile by prioritising posts and replies from users’ mutual followers.

The change was announced by X’s head of product, Nikita Bier, who said the platform had identified a gap in its recommendation system that prevented mutual connections’ posts from appearing more prominently in reply threads.

“We noticed this data was missing from the algo and it made your friends appear less in your replies. This resulted in the reply section feeling more like a battleground with people you don’t recognise,” Bier said in a post on X Monday.

She said the update gives greater visibility to posts from “mutuals” people a user follows who also follow them back. While the tweak may not dramatically change how the platform works, it is intended to make discussions feel more like conversations within familiar communities rather than interactions with strangers, she added.

According to Bier, the algorithm adjustment should also help interest-based communities develop more naturally.

“It’ll also help clusters form around interests more easily, which many people have asked for,” he added.

Mapping competition

The latest change is part of X’s broader effort to improve the platform for creators and encourage more meaningful engagement.

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Earlier this year, the company revised its creator payment system to reward original content over reposted or aggregated material. More recently, X introduced a built-in video editor, giving creators additional tools to produce and publish original videos directly from the platform.

The algorithm update also comes as competition intensifies with Meta’s Threads, which has been introducing its own community-focused features. Last month, Threads launched “Your Algo,” a feature that lets users privately customise what appears in their feed.

Meta has positioned the feature as a way to give users more control over recommendations while fostering stronger communities.

Threads recently crossed 500 million monthly active users, increasing pressure on X to refine its own recommendation systems and improve user engagement.