Okay, it is quite awkward (and occasionally infuriating) when a total stranger jumps into your Twitter conversation and expels wisdom. We’ve all been there, but a solution might arrive soon. Twitter is testing a new feature that will let users control who can reply to their tweets.
While you are typing a tweet, you’ll be able to specify who can reply to your tweet. You can choose between three options – everyone (which is the default setting on Twitter), only people you follow, or only people you mention in your tweet.
https://twitter.com/Twitter/status/1263145271946551300?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
If you choose between any of the last two options, the reply icon will turn grey, letting people know that they can’t reply to that tweet, and there will also be a label to explain the same if it was not already clear.
However, those who can’t reply to a tweet still have the option to view, like, and retweet those protected tweets. As of now, the new tweet privacy controls are only being tested within a small circle of users on Android, iOS, and the Web client, and there is no word when it will be released widely for the entire Twitterverse.
Source: Twitter Blog