Following a ton of drama and multiple false starts, Twitter Blue relaunched on Dec. 12. The service costs $8 a month for web users and $11 a month for iPhone users who purchase it through Apple’s App Store. The additional $3 for iPhone users is meant to make up for the 30 percent commission that Apple charges for all App Store transactions. As part of the relaunch, Twitter is offering multiple badges in different colors to users, depending on whether they are individuals, businesses, or government agencies. That’s quite a change from the old Twitter which offered the same blue checkmark to all verified accounts to denote their ‘genuine’ status.
As explained by Twitter, the blue checkmark is given to all Twitter Blue subscribers and does not necessarily verify their true identity. However, to add to the confusion, the badge still applies to legacy verified accounts that do identify the account-holder’s true identity. The only way to differentiate between the two is to tap on the blue badge on a user’s profile. In the case of legacy verified accounts, a pop-up will say, “This is a legacy verified account. It may or may not be notable.” For Twitter Blue subscribers, the same pop-up says “This account is verified because it’s subscribed to Twitter Blue.”
Legacy Blue Checkmarks Are Going Away
It is worth noting that Twitter is planning to remove all legacy blue checkmarks “in a few months.” In a tweet on Dec. 12, Elon Musk ranted against the old verification system, saying “The way in which they were given out was corrupt and nonsensical.” Once that policy is implemented, legacy verified users will have to pay to retain their blue checks.
One of the two new badges introduced by Elon Musk is a gold checkmark that denotes accounts belonging to a company or an organization. Twitter has also started rolling out a new service called ‘Blue for Business’ that will allow companies to apply for a gold checkmark. The badge is currently live for many companies, including Coca-Cola, Toyota, Sony, and others.
Finally, there’s the gray ‘Official’ checkmark that’s reserved for government agencies, political parties, media establishments, brands, and select public figures. The badge was originally rolled out in November before being scrapped within a few hours. A day later, the gray check was back after a ton of impersonation, hoaxes, and misinformation from dozens of ‘verified’ accounts with the blue checkmark. For now, however, the gray badge seems to be MIA, so it remains to be seen if Twitter will start rolling it out again at some stage.
