Twitter's mobile app for smartphones and tablets now includes a new GIF button that can browse trending GIFs to add to the microblogging service's status updates. The searchable GIFs feature provides a new and exciting way to add tiny animated images to the social network's timeline.

A group of Android users noticed the new Twitter feature during last week, according to Engadget. The social media giant is trying to provide what its customers want.

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Twitter users just have to tap the GIF button to see a group of ready-made GIFs. They are grouped into categories based on what they show like the GIF Keyboard app, according to The Independent.

Twitter's new feature will help to keep fans of animated GIFs happy. It will also help to add new users and provide a new source of revenue.

The social network has become the top "second-screen" app. People now go to Twitter rather than Facebook to follow TV shows like "Game of Thrones" and sporting events like Super Bowl 50.

Twitter can now team up with networks to offer almost real-time GIFs for big television events. A network could create a GIF that includes its branding before the show airs, and then share it when the GIF moment airs.

If Twitter teams up with entertainment and consumer brands it could spotlight featured and trending images. For example, a trending section of the Twitter app could include top GIFs of big plays from an NFL game.

Several brands such as Starbucks and Honda could also benefit from Twitter's new GIF feature. Users will easily be able to add tiny ads of favorite brands to their timelines.

A key benefit of the GIFs is that they would produce revenue for the social network. Twitter's cash flow continues to increase, but it is not high enough to cover the costs of the world's 140-character tweets.

Twitter has recently unveiled several tweaks to the social network's interface. They include making tweets show up in timeline windows after users click on them, and changing the color of the retweet button.  

Not all of Twitter's changes have been popular with its active users. However, the built-in GIF library has mostly received rave reviews from its customers.

Here's the history of the animated GIF: