X, formerly known as Twitter, could be reintroducing a downvote feature for posts — a concept it previously tested in 2021 before Elon Musk’s acquisition of the platform. During the original experiment, Twitter explored both upvoting and downvoting buttons, similar to the voting system on Reddit. However, new code references found in the X iOS app suggest that the company is now considering adding downvotes specifically for replies to improve their ranking.
This code was first identified by reverse engineer Aaron Perris, known as @aaronp613 on X, who frequently uncovers new app features before they launch. The code references were found in Tuesday’s iOS app update, Perris shared.
Finding a reference in an app’s code about a new feature or functionality doesn’t necessarily mean the company is planning to bring the feature to the public. Companies, especially social media apps, often internally test new features before deciding whether to expand a project or scrap it.
However, in this case, at least one X engineer and X owner Elon Musk have commented on the potential addition.
Jay Baxter, senior staff machine learning engineer at X who works on Community Notes, noted that leveraging a negative signal could be useful. It’s something that works for X’s crowdsourced fact-checking feature, too.