Third-party applications that do not need access to direct messages will no longer have it, Twitter has announced.

There are hundreds of thousands of applications that can allow access to Twitter accounts and from next month many will face limitations.

Apps that access direct messages will ask for permissions again, Twitter has said in its blog, giving users more control.

When you first connect an application to Twitter, we’ll give you more detailed information about what you’re allowing the app to do with your account. These activities may include reading your Tweets, seeing who you follow, updating your profile, posting Tweets on your behalf, or accessing your direct messages. If you’re not comfortable with the level of access an application requests, simply say “No, thanks”.

You can see a summary of the applications you’ve approved and make changes by going to “settings” then clicking on the “applications” tab in your Twitter account.