Harpy, a new free Twitter app with a unique design that you must try

There was a time when the third-party Twitter clients were all the rage on Android. Applications such as Fenix, Flamingo, Carbon, Talon or Plume have accumulated millions of downloads, to offer an experience with the social network very different from the original application. But restrictions imposed by the company itself have forced many of these apps to disappear or lose many features that made them special along the way.

But that doesn't mean the developers will stop trying to offer a new "flavor" of Twitter by using whatever tools they have in hand. This is the case of Roberto Doering, creator of a new Twitter app for Android, Harpy, which offers a totally different experience with the Blue Bird social network.

Harpy, a new Twitter application available on Android.

Free, open source and with an ultra customizable design: it's Harpy

Currently the application is in beta phase and is only available to those who wish to join the program to test it out. To do this, you just need to access the Google Play pre-registration pageAnd then download the application from the store.

This is an application free and open source, written in the Dart language and using the framework Google's cross-platform development, Flutter. However, to date, it is only available on Android, and it is not clear if its developer intends to offer it on other operating systems.

The first thing that strikes you as soon as you install the application is His look. On the home screen, after logged in with Twitter and have given permissions to the app, we see a gradient background and a screen of theme selection, which allows to change the appearance of the application through different colors - it is also possible to change the theme later, from the application settings ??.

After having selected our favorite subject, a neat animation -the app is full of them- directs us directly to our thread Twitter. Each tweet is integrated into a carte which stands out from the background and includes different quick actions that allow you to "like" or "retweet", as well as reply to a tweet or translate its text.

At the top we see a toolbar which gives us the possibility to access different sections of the application:

• Home icon: allows you to return to thread main and see all tweets.
• Image icon: an interesting function that allows to use Twitter as an image gallery, and to see only the media files published by the accounts that we follow, without text or any other element.
• "@" Icon: only displays tweets in which we have been mentioned, or replies to our tweets.
• Magnifying glass icon: allows you to search for users or tweets, or check trends. Search filters are also included.

From the sidebar of the application, accessible via the icon with three vertical lines located in the upper left corner, it is possible to view information on our profile, such as the number of subscribers or accounts followed, as well as go directly to the profile or write a new tweet. It also includes access to settings de application, from which it will be possible to modify the settings related to multimedia files, the theme of the application and the way to display the tweets, or other general options.

It should be mentioned that, in its current state, the application still lack many functions, some of them essential such as the possibility of change notification options, and does not show optimal performance in certain situations. However, it is a project with a lot of potential, which mainly stands out for its neat design and animations that perfectly complement the user interface.

On the other hand, it must be remembered that, like all third-party clients, Harpy does not have all the functions available in the official Twitter app in due to the API restrictions of the social network. Therefore, it may not be the most suitable app for most users. extreme of the platform, which each need the tools provided by the original customer.