Twitter Blue is finally being relaunched, but what else do subscribers get apart from a blue check mark? There’s been a lot of back and forth on Twitter Blue ever since Elon Musk took over as Chief Twit, but one thing has remained constant. Musk wants users to pay to be verified – something that Twitter previously offered only to companies, organizations, and people who are “notable” in government, news, entertainment, and other categories.
According to Musk, forcing users to pay for a verification badge will tackle Twitter’s bot problem. Unfortunately, the initial rollout of Twitter Blue didn’t go as planned, with many users subscribing to the service only to change their names to celebrities like Elon Musk himself, or companies like Eli Lilly, Tesla, Coca-Cola, and Nike, among others. Pranksters then wreaked havoc by impersonating these accounts, posting fake (and sometimes hilarious) tweets. Twitter’s solution was to pause the Blue subscription, and roll out an ‘Official’ label to government accounts, brands, media companies, and others.
It looks like Twitter Blue 2.0 is finally ready to roll out, and the official Twitter account has now posted all the features that subscribers will get. As previously reported by The Information, Twitter is charging two different subscription fees for Twitter Blue. Users signing up on the web will be charged $8 a month, while those subscribing on iOS will pay $11 to offset Apple’s 30 percent App Store tax. Twitter Blue subscribers will need a verified phone number to get their blue check mark, but only after a review process. Twitter also says that users will be able to change their account handle, display name, or profile picture while being subscribed to Twitter Blue. However, there will be a short period where the account loses its blue check until it’s been reviewed again, presumably to avoid users impersonating other accounts.
Twitter Blue Doesn’t Offer Much Else
Apart from a blue check, Twitter says Blue subscribers will be prioritized, with their tweets appearing at the top of replies, mentions, and search. While Twitter says that this is to prevent spam, some Twitter users are worried about their accounts being shadow-banned for refusing to pay. Additionally, Blue subscribers will see half the ads of non-verified users, which doesn’t really make sense considering that most platforms, including YouTube, eliminate ads for paying users. The Blue subscription also brings the ability to post longer videos, upload videos in 1080p, and a reader mode. The Edit Tweet feature, which has been a long time in the making, also looks to be a Blue exclusive for now.
Twitter says it is replacing the gray ‘official’ label with its new color-coded checkmarks for some accounts. Businesses will get a gold check mark, while government and “multilateral accounts” will have a gray checkmark. At the moment, Twitter Blue is being rolled out in the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the UK, with plans to expand to other countries.
It looks like existing verified Twitter accounts aren’t losing their blue check yet, as Twitter says a verified account now means notable accounts of public interest as well as Blue subscribers. Twitter’s support page also mentions that a new “Verified” section on Twitter’s notifications timeline is coming soon, which will display notifications from verified accounts. As an introductory offer, iOS users will be able to sign up for (or upgrade to) Twitter Blue for $7.99 a month. Twitter also reiterates that new accounts won’t be able to subscribe to Twitter Blue for 90 days, likely another move to combat spam.
Since taking over Twitter, Musk has made some drastic changes, including laying off about half of Twitter’s 7,500 employees, forcing the remaining ones to be more “hard core,” and ranting against advertisers like Apple which cut back on their Twitter marketing spends. Musk is hoping to rake in subscription revenue with Twitter Blue, but the monthly fee is pretty steep for the average user, given that there’s really not much on offer apart from a blue check.
