Twitter Blue subscriptions with verification were relaunched on Tuesday, and people will need a verified phone number to sign up, as Elon Musk announced he will remove all old blue badges in the coming months
Updated – Tue, Dec 13, 22 at 09:59 AM
New Delhi: Twitter Blue subscriptions with verification were relaunched on Tuesday, and people will need a verified phone number to sign up, after Elon Musk announced he would remove all old blue badges in the coming months.
A Blue subscription with verification costs $8 a month for Android users and $11 a month for iPhone users.
“Starting today, when you subscribe, your account will have access to subscriber-only features including editing tweets, 1080p video uploads, reader mode, and blue checkmarks (once your account has been reviewed), ’ the company said.
“Soon, subscribers with a blue checkmark will receive priority ranking in searches, mentions and replies to help reduce the visibility of scams, spam and bots,” the microblogging platform added.
To subscribe to Blue badge, your Twitter account must be at least 90 days old and have a confirmed phone number.
Basic blue will have half as many ads, Musk said.
“Next year we will offer a higher level of ad-free service,” he added.
The new Twitter owners also announced that in a few months “we will be removing all legacy blue checks”.
“The way they were distributed was corrupt and ridiculous,” he added.
Subscribers will be able to change their username, display name or profile picture, “but if they do, they will temporarily lose the blue checkmark until their account is reviewed again,” Twitter said.
Musk launched the verified Blue subscription program last month, but later delayed it amid huge controversy following the emergence of several fake accounts impersonating brands and celebrities on the platform.
Musk also said that previously “Twitter management and board lied to make their user numbers look artificially higher, thus turning a blind eye to fake/spam accounts”.
