The revamped version of the Twitter Blue service was finally launched on Monday after the first attempt saw a spate of fake accounts mushrooming that scared advertisers and cast doubt on the platform’s future.
The first attempt to tweak the subscription service came just 10 days after Musk’s $44 billion takeover of the platform and a mass round of layoffs that witnessed employee levels halved, including teams of workers moderating content.
All about the Twitter Blue subscription
The new Twitter Blue subscription service will cost $8 per month for users that subscribe via the web platform and $11 per month for those who subscribe on the iOS app, tweeted Esther Crawford, product head leading the subscription service effort.
we’re baaaack! Twitter Blue is now available for $8/month on web or $11/month on iOS – we’ve made some upgrades and improvements 🧵 pic.twitter.com/uRMuwCSElb
— Twitter Blue (@TwitterBlue) December 12, 2022
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The reason behind the higher price on iOS appears to be an effort to account for Apple’s 30 per cent app transaction fee, which Musk recently talked about.
The subscription service was relaunched with a new gold check mark to designate verified accounts for businesses. Twitter Blue still has blue check marks for verified individual user accounts and gray check marks for verified government and multilateral accounts.
The subscription also allows users to edit tweets, upload videos in 1080p resolution, and view tweets in reader mode. To tackle the issue of rampant impersonation, the relaunch will require Twitter Blue users to register a phone number before they can get a blue check mark, and subscribers who change their handles, display names, or profile photos will temporarily lose the symbol until their accounts are reviewed again, said Twitter earlier.
Failed attempt of Twitter Blue
The initial Twitter Blue triggered rage after several fake accounts started appearing that pretended to be celebrities or companies and Musk’s team was forced to retract the version launched. This time, the company stepped up its verification procedure with a review required by Twitter before receiving the coveted blue mark.
In fact, a blue checkmark indicating verification by Twitter was previously free but reserved for organizations and public figures in an attempt to avoid impersonation and misinformation.
The relaunch came the same day as reports that Musk disbanded Twitter’s Trust and Safety Council, a body formed almost six years ago that allows the platform to tap into global experts for help shaping strategies around hate speech, child safety, civil rights and other sensitive issues, according to the news agency AFP report.
The council members noted that the company is reevaluating how it brings “external insights” into its work and decided that the council is “not the best structure to do this,” The Washington Post and CNN reported, citing copies of the message.
Some members of the Trust and Safety Council had already resigned in protest, saying the well-being of Twitter users was declining with Musk in charge, CNN reported.