Twitter Circle – the social media platform’s tool that allows users to tweet to smaller groups of people – has become available to all users for the first time.

The feature has been in testing among select users since May, but Twitter has now rolled it out to everyone on both its Android and iOS apps and via web browsers.

Circle enables users to build a group of up to 150 followers to become part of their Circle, with users then able to choose on a tweet-by-tweet basis whether to post something publicly or just to their Circle.

Giving people the option to share thoughts with a select group of followers helps make tweeting more accessible

The social media platform said the response from testing so far had been “overwhelmingly positive”.

“With Twitter Circle, people now have the flexibility to choose who can see and engage with their content on a tweet-by-tweet basis. This makes it easier to have more intimate conversations and build closer connections with select followers,” the company said in a blog post.

“We want to ensure everyone on Twitter has the choice, control, tools, and transparency to join the conversation how and when they want, and Twitter Circle is another important step in that direction.

“Giving people the option to share thoughts with a select group of followers helps make tweeting more accessible. This is true whether you’re brand new to Twitter or you have millions of followers.”

The company added that during its testing, it had noted that accounts using Circle were tweeting more often and tweets posted within a Circle were receiving increased engagement in the form of more likes and replies.