Twitter has eased its restrictions on its Direct Messaging service, now allowing users to send private messages to users who don’t follow them back.
The Verge reports that Twitter eased its longstanding restriction on so-called DMs, which before were only allowed to be exchanged between people who follow each other on the short message platform.
The move likely paves the way for businesses and brands to more easily send and receive messages from fans and followers without having to follow each other.
The ability to send and receive Direct Messages is an opt-in/opt-out feature, and users are automatically opted out of receiving messages from people they don’t follow. To turn it off and on, you can access the Settings menu on Twitter and check the “Receive direct messages from any follower box.”