Musk's X developing 'dislike' button for downvoting replies

NEW DELHI: Elon Musk-run X is developing a downvoting feature which will be used to improve the ranking of replies.

While the company hasn't announced its plans officially, recent findings suggest that the 'downvote' feature might actually resemble a 'dislike' button instead of a Reddit-style downvote icon, reports TechCrunch.

As per code references found in the X iOS app show a button that seems like a broken heart icon next to the microblogging platform’s heart-shaped 'like' button as well as direct references to a 'downvote' feature.

The feature was tested by the company in 2021, ahead of Musk’s acquisition.

Earlier this month, reverse engineer Aaron Perris, @aaronp613 on X, discovered references in X’s iOS app that indicated a downvote feature that appeared to be in development.

Now, he has found more image files in the iOS app that show the button could be styled as a broken heart as well as more direct references to the feature itself, the report mentioned.

Initially, the company had tested both upvoting and downvoting buttons across all posts. However, the latest tests show that X is only considering allowing downvotes on replies.

In June, Musk confirmed the rollout of a new feature that will hide all likes by default for X users.