Elon Musk’s X, formerly known as Twitter, is progressing with the development of a downvoting feature aimed at enhancing how replies are prioritized in discussions.
While the company has not officially confirmed these plans, recent discoveries suggest that the downvote feature might resemble a traditional “dislike” button rather than the typical Reddit-style downvote icon.
Code found within X’s iOS app now includes a button resembling a broken heart icon placed next to the familiar heart-shaped “like” button, along with direct references to a “downvote” feature.
Previously, Twitter, the platform experimented with downvoting in 2021 before Elon Musk’s acquisition. During that initial trial, both upvoting and downvoting buttons were tested across all posts.
The latest indications suggest that X is now contemplating implementing downvotes exclusively for replies. This approach aims to elevate more favorable replies to the top of lengthy threads while pushing less-popular replies further down.
This strategy could deter users from posting content intended solely to provoke negative reactions and garner dislikes for engagement.
Recently, reverse engineer Aaron Perris, known as @aaronp613 on X, uncovered references within X’s iOS app pointing to an in-development downvote feature. Perris also identified newly added image files suggesting the downvote button may be stylized as a broken heart, alongside textual prompts asking users to confirm their downvotes.
Screenshots shared by Perris reveal prompts such as “Do you want to downvote this post?” and straightforward instructions like “Downvote this post.” However, the use of “posts” in the prompts raises questions about whether X intends to extend the downvoting feature to all platform content or restrict it solely to replies.
Reports also surfaced of a dislike button briefly appearing on an X employee’s account, demonstrated in a video showcasing a new reply expansion feature. The post was swiftly deleted and reuploaded without the visible dislike button.
Given these sightings and tests, it appears likely that X is actively conducting public trials of the dislike button. This initiative aligns with broader changes to X’s engagement mechanisms under Musk’s leadership, including recent efforts to conceal public display of likes to encourage interaction with more diverse content while protecting user privacy.
