Twitter is about to make some obvious but much-needed improvements to its direct-messages feature.

On Friday night, Twitter announced that it plans to update its iPhone and Android apps, so users can view their entire direct-message history on mobile. Twitter also said it's planning to streamline the process of deleting direct messages on mobile and the web, so there's less confusion.

We're also making an update to the Twitter iPhone and Android apps that will allow you to access your entire DM history. — Twitter Support (@Support) July 18, 2014

The social network has been tinkering with the way its private-message feature works in recent months, amid a surge in interest in mobile messaging apps, such as WhatsApp and Line.

Twitter introduced pop-up notifications on the web in April, which made direct messages more prominent. The company briefly tested the option to let users receive direct messages from anyone, not just those they follow. And there's speculation Twitter may be interested in offering a group-message option at some point.

In fact, Twitter CEO Dick Costolo highlighted direct messages as a key feature that could help the company grow its presence internationally during a recent earnings call in April.

"When you think about the best international opportunity," Costolo said on the call, "there's a real opportunity for us when we think about our private messaging to strengthen the core of our Twitter product by making it easier for users to move more fluidly between the public conversation that happens everywhere on Twitter and the private conversation between you and a friend or you and a few friends."

So it's safe to assume you can expect more updates, big and small, in the coming months.