Among the changes being considered for season 10 is a lift on the social-networking ban that has silenced competitors once they leave the stage.
"Contestants may be allowed to Tweet throughout the show," a source tells PEOPLE. "But there are still logistics to be worked out."
Another change: Unlike last season, the top 12 contestants will be living together in a house in Hollywood. The move is a fresh idea for the next batch of hopefuls, although Idol has done it sporadically in previous years.
What's uncertain, the source says, "is whether they'll film any of it."
The Hollywood Reporter was first to report the changes, and claims they're being made as part of a new "transparency" production theme – the idea being to give fans a peek behind the scenes.
FOX declined to comment on the reports, as did a rep for executive producer Nigel Lythgoe.
• Reporting by MARISA LAUDADIO and JESSICA HERNDON
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