It's been a somewhat tumultuous time on Twitter since Elon Musk took over at the end of October, and much of the attention has focused on the controversial changes to Twitter Blue's subscription plan. Now, Twitter has announced that the plan will be relaunched on Monday.
In a tweet from their official account (opens in a new tab), Twitter confirmed that the cost of Twitter Blue will remain the same at €8 per month, but will go up to €11 per month if you sign up via iOS (with Apple app). Shop tax included). International pricing for the iOS boost has yet to be confirmed, but the plan currently costs £7 per month in the UK and AU$7 in Australia.
One of the most talked about changes coming to Twitter Blue is that verification will be integrated into it. The new announcement states that Blue subscribers with a verified phone number will receive a blue tick once their account has been approved, so it sounds like some sort of manual verification is taking place as well.
We're relaunching @TwitterBlue on Monday – subscribe on the web for €8/mo or on iOS for €11/mo to get access to exclusive subscriber features, including the blue checkmark 🧵 pic.twitter.com/DvvsLoSO5010 December 2022
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What you get
Twitter also says that tweets from Blue's followers will get priority in replies, mentions and searches. Those who pay the monthly fee will also see fewer ads and be able to post longer videos, as well as early access to new features while they try it out.
Other Twitter features that will be exclusive to Blue subscribers include the ability to edit tweets, post videos in 1080p quality, and access to a reader mode that makes it easy to analyze tweets and threads on screen.
Meanwhile, the "official" labels that used to appear on some accounts will be replaced with gold checkmarks for businesses and gray checkmarks for government and "multilateral" accounts. At this time, it is not clear what will happen to individual users who have already been verified with the old system.
Analysis: Twitter 2.0 takes off
As the head of SpaceX, Tesla, and now Twitter, Elon Musk certainly divides opinion, but there's no arguing that he likes to go fast with his changes and innovations. We've seen all kinds of testing and tweaking on Twitter over the past couple of months.
When it comes to Twitter Blue and the verification process, it could be argued that Musk moved too quickly. While Twitter Blue was already available before its arrival, offering a blue checkmark to subscribers and raising prices for those who sign up via their iPhone or iPad has made it more confusing and controversial.
Having extra features that cost makes sense (Twitter needs revenue, after all), but verification was originally meant to be a way to confirm identity and trustworthiness on Twitter. Now anyone who can afford it can buy it, which dilutes the appeal of having that blue brand.
We will have to wait and see how these changes affect the social network and if Musk's great plan for Twitter 2.0 can come true. There is certainly much more on the way as the platform continues to evolve.