Mastodon’s New Update Introduces Quote Posts and Fresh Design Overhaul
Mastodon, the open-source decentralized social platform presenting a credible alternative to Elon Musk’s X and Meta’s Threads, is set to unveil multiple updates with the launch of Mastodon 4.4 on Tuesday.
A major addition is the early implementation of Quote Posts—similar to Twitter’s former Quote Tweets—which aims to align Mastodon with other social networks, potentially affecting user engagement.
This feature enables users to quote another user’s post, adding their thoughts or comments. When it was launched on Twitter (now X), this option cultivated a culture of “dunking,” where users would often ridicule others by quoting their posts with sarcastic or negative commentary. While some critics argued that dunking made Twitter more entertaining, many felt it increased negativity, detracting from constructive conversation.
In contrast, Mastodon’s approach to Quote Posts seeks to mitigate misuse for hate speech and harassment.
As outlined earlier this year, this will be accomplished by allowing users to control whether their content can be quoted and giving them the option to revoke their posts from being quoted at any time. Users will also be notified when their posts are quoted.
Nonetheless, Quote Posts will not be fully operational upon the release of Mastodon 4.4.
Instead, the code to showcase Quote Posts will be made available, allowing users to view quotes originating from compatible fediverse platforms, including future versions of Mastodon.
Users will need to wait for Mastodon 4.5, scheduled for later this year, to quote posts.
Version 4.4 also introduces several improvements designed to enhance profiles, navigation, lists, media controls, and administrative functions.
The new “Feature on my profile” option allows users to highlight what they want to promote, such as posts with specific hashtags or notable profiles and accounts—like those for their businesses or side projects.
Additionally, users can now view their Pinned Posts in a carousel format at the top of their profiles. Previously, accessing the latest content required scrolling through numerous posts.
A new profile widget will indicate how many of the accounts you follow are also following the profile you are currently viewing.
Moreover, modifying Lists has been simplified, enabling actions directly from profiles and your Following and Followers lists.
Version 4.4 also brings a fresh look to Mastodon’s media player, with play and pause controls now more centrally located for easier access, along with hotkeys for seeking, volume control, and fullscreen capabilities.
On mobile devices, users can now double-tap or pinch to zoom in and out of photos, and swiping up will close a zoomed image, similar to other photo applications. A new reminder has been implemented to encourage the inclusion of alt-text for images, enhancing accessibility for visually impaired users.
Moreover, the mobile website has been revamped to closely mimic the native mobile applications, featuring action buttons in a bottom toolbar and more consistent navigation across platforms.
The “Explore” section has been renamed “Trending,” and sidebar navigation has been restructured into three segments: a set for primary navigation buttons, a segment for curated content (such as Lists, Bookmarks, and Favorites), and another for miscellaneous items.
New users will enjoy a streamlined onboarding experience, reduced from four steps to just two, addressing concerns about the complexity of starting on Mastodon.
Server administrators will gain access to new legal compliance tools, including management of Terms of Service, offering translations of server rules in various languages, and the ability to set minimum age requirements for new users.
These updates follow several changes made to the social network this year, including the formation of a new non-profit organization in Europe to transition from a single-person operation and expand the team. Recently, Mastodon announced plans to diversify its revenue through additional commercial services, marking a significant milestone as it hosted the European Commission’s Mastodon instance for the first time last year, hinting at possible future developments.
