What just happened? Twitter Blue, the company’s updated subscription service that now includes verification, relaunches today after the company suspended its rollout last month due to the large number of impersonators. The $8 per month price hasn’t changed—unless you’re using an Apple device. iOS users will have to hand over $11 per month for the privilege of a blue tick.
It took just two days after launching the updated Twitter Blue subscription service for the company to suspend its paid-account verification, a response to the hundreds of users taking advantage of the verification system to impersonate public entities, something that owner Elon Musk warned would lead to a permaban. One person pretending to be Eli Lilly crashed the pharmaceutical company’s stock price after they tweeted it would no longer charge for insulin, and Senator Ed Markey got into a spat with Musk over the ease at which a Washington Post reporter set up a fake account pretending to be the politician. The senator warned Musk to fix things or face intervention from congress.
Twitter Blue has now returned. In addition to the verification tick, subscribers get the ability to edit tweets up to 30 minutes after they have been published and upload 1080p videos. They’ll also see half the number of ads, and, once the features arrive, subscribers will be able to post longer tweets and receive increased visibility, allowing them to “rocket to the top of replies, mentions and search.”
we’re relaunching @TwitterBlue on Monday – subscribe on web for $8/month or on iOS for $11/month to get access to subscriber-only features, including the blue checkmark ? pic.twitter.com/DvvsLoSO50
— Twitter (@Twitter) December 10, 2022
Subscribing to twitter Blue on the web costs the same previous $8 per month, but that rises to $11 per month via Apple’s App Store if you want to go the iOS route. There is no explanation for the price discrepancy, but it’s likely to offset the 30% cut Apple takes on all sales, a tax Musk had previously called out.
Musk recently went on a tirade against Apple. He said Cupertino had all but stopped advertising on Twitter and threatened to remove the app from its store. He also asked if the company hated “free speech in America.” Musk’s solution to any potential ban from the app stores was to build his own phone, but he’s since tweeted that, following a meeting with Tim Cook, the whole dispute was a misunderstanding that has been resolved.
The new Twitter Blue verification will use a color-coded system in which businesses receive a gold tick while government accounts receive a grey symbol. To help prevent impersonations, any subscribers who attempt to change their handle, display name, or photo will temporarily lose their tick until the account is reviewed again.
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