Twitter has expanded the availability of its pay-monthly Twitter Blue subscription service, allowing any user worldwide to subscribe to show the platform’s blue verification checkmark on their profile, as well as to gain accesses other paywalled features including the ability to post higher-resolution 1080p videos, share longer tweets, Edit Tweet and Undo Tweet options, and more.
Twitter Blue, often referred to as “Twitter Verified,” costs $11/month when purchased on iPhone, or $8/month when purchased on the web to circumvent the 30% commission Apple takes on in-app purchases from the App Store.
Users subscribing to the service will receive the blue checkmark once they add a verified phone number to their account, which will undergo a mini review prior to the blue badge appearing, an improvement over the previous Twitter Blue verification method, which gave users the once sought-after blue badge without any type of identity verification taking place.
Prior to the change, the blue verification checkmark was used to let people know that an account was authentic, representing notable profiles belonging to government officials, companies, brands, and influential individuals.
The move to sell blue badge verification has been heavily criticized by companies, brands, and influential individuals who see the decision by Twitter CEO Elon Musk as irresponsible, putting many high-profile Twitter users at risk of impersonation and the spread of misinformation, unless they pay for the Twitter Blue subscription, or the higher-priced $1,000/month Twitter Verified Organizations subscription, which gives subscribers a golden checkmark rather than the familiar blue badge.
Twitter touts that Twitter Blue offers prioritized ranking in conversations, half ads, long Tweets, Bookmark Folders, custom navigation, Edit Tweet, Undo Tweet, and more.