Twitter will now let anyone send you a direct message - not just the people you're following.

It's a major overhaul for the site which until now has only allowed people who follow each other to exchange messages privately.

The new feature is turned off by default but can be switched on in the settings menu.

The feature has been tested before in October 2013, but it was killed off after just a few weeks.

A prominent direct message button is also being added to the iPhone app to encourage people to use the often neglected feature.

The move appears to be part of a move by Twitter to muscle in to the lucrative mobile-messaging market, which Facebook has recently made a big push into with its Messenger app.

The feature will be particularly useful to celebrities and large companies who can now respond to people privately without having established a connection beforehand.

Users can also send direct messages - known as DMs - to people who follow them, even if they do not follow them back and have not turned on the feature in the settings menu.

Once a message is sent, the follower can respond.

A Twitter spokesman said: "We hope these changes help you connect more easily, and directly, on Twitter with the people, causes and businesses you care about most."

(Sky News)