Twitter is tracking your other apps

Twitter was forced to defend its decision yesterday to track what other apps users have downloaded and used on the smart devices.

The social networking firm recently updated its apps on Android and iOS to enable the company to see what other apps have been downloaded.

It claims the App Graph feature would enable it to make better suggestions of who to follow, as well as serve up more relevant content to users.

The tech giant promised the feature will be optional, and users can switch it off when prompted by an in-app notification.

The company played down fears over privacy, saying on its support page: "We are only collecting the list of applications you have installed. We are not collecting any data within the applications.

"To help build a more personal Twitter experience for you, we are collecting and occasionally updating the list of apps installed on your mobile device so we can deliver tailored content that you might be interested in."

The update began rolling out yesterday to Android and iOS devices.

The benefit to advertisers is more obvious, with the nature of the apps found on a user's phone dictating what kind of adverts would appear on their Twitter feed, while a music-playing app could help rivals advertise their own service to the user.

Those wanting to turn off the feature after approving it can do so in iOS by heading to the "Me" tab, tapping on the Gear button, selecting settings and disabling the add-on under the 'Other' tab.

For Android devices, tap on the overflow icon, select settings, and turn off the same option, also found under Other.