Twitter has distributed an update that highlights popular and important tweets posted since the user last logged on, Digital Spy said.

The 'while you were away' section sits at the top of the account holder's home screen and has drawn comparisons with Facebook's News Feed.

Users will now find older posts at the top of their feed, but the usual chronological updates resume after some scrolling.

This is not the first Twitter update to make the service more Facebook-like, with the revamped profile pages introduced last April bearing a resemblance to those of its competitor.

Twitter has been proactive in making the service more user-friendly, pushing out an update in September to help newcomers get started by serving them recommended content based on their interests.

The company is expected to make strides in e-commerce this year, having trialled the introduction of a 'buy' button during the latter months of 2014.