X has adjusted its recommendation algorithm to give more visibility to posts from users who follow each other.
The update, aimed at making conversations feel more familiar, was announced on Monday by Nikita Bier, X’s head of Product, who said the platform found that content from “mutuals” was not appearing as often as it should 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.”
According to Bier, the change should also make it easier for users with similar interests to connect and build communities around shared conversations.
He added: “help clusters form around interests more easily, which many people have asked for.”
Although the algorithm adjustment is unlikely to transform the platform overnight, it means X is encouraging more effective and meaningful interactions instead of exposing users mainly to replies from strangers.
The company has introduced several product updates this year to attract and retain creators. Earlier in the year, X changed how it pays creators, rewarding original content over reposted or aggregated material.
More recently, it launched a built-in video editor, giving creators another tool to produce and edit content without leaving the platform.
The latest update also comes as competition with Meta’s Threads increases. Threads has been adding features that give users better management over what they see.
Last month, the platform introduced Your Algo, a private feature that allows users to customise how their feed is ranked. Threads has also reached 500 million monthly active users.
While prioritising posts from mutual followers could make discussions more personal, the update does not address some of the platform’s challenges, including spam, harassment, misinformation and content theft, which affects the user experience.
