Even if it seems like an April Fool’s joke at first glance, Twitter is now actually eliminating all so-called “legacy” accounts. Anyone who has worked the blue “verified” tick from earlier will have to pay to keep it from April 1st.
Not only is Twitter now making the blue tick chargeable for everyone. Users who do not complete the Twitter Blue subscription will also no longer have access to certain functions. According to CEO Elon Musk, this is the way to prevent “advanced AI bot swarms from taking over”.
Tick only against payment
As usual for the social media platform, Twitter has the changes in a tweet announced:
“On April 1st, we will begin phasing out our old verified program and removing old verified ticks. To keep the blue tick on Twitter, individuals can subscribe to Twitter Blue […]”
Twitter Verified on March 23, 2023
Twitter Blue is available in Germany via the iOS or Android app for 11 euros per month or 114.99 euros per year. If you take out the subscription via the web browser, you pay a little less at 9.52 euros per month or 99.96 euros per year – the subscription can still be used in the app.
There is a separate program for organizations that previously had blue ticks. In addition, Twitter now distinguishes between corporate and government accounts. Corporations get gold ticks, while governments have a gray counterpart. In both cases it is possible to give the accounts of employees and members an official tick as well. Official accounts cost in Germany 1130.50 euros per montheach affiliated account an additional 59.50 euros per month.
What happens if you don’t subscribe to Twitter Blue?
Even accounts that previously had a blue tick will lose it with the changeover in April. They then have to pay for Twitter Blue like all other users of the platform. Those who do not do this will have to accept a number of restrictions in the future.
Twitter CEO Elon Musk announced in a tweet that from April 15 only verified accounts will be able to take part in surveys. In addition, the subscription also affects the Tweet recommendations that appear in the “For You” tab. So far, tweets have been received there that are currently attracting attention or that the algorithm considers interesting for the respective user. Also starting April 15, accounts that don’t pay for Twitter Blue will no longer appear in the “For You” tab. This does not apply to accounts to which you have subscribed yourself – these will continue to appear in “For You”.
Twitter users who do not have a Blue subscription also have to accept further restrictions. Only subscribers can edit tweets and upload longer videos in 1080p resolution. A bookmark folder is also available. More exclusive features will be added in the future. Tweets from subscribed users will appear at the top of replies, mentions, and searches. This is said to help curb fraud and spam. Likewise, only half of the advertisements should appear with Twitter Blue.
TECHBOOK reached out to Twitter, asking for an explanation of how the removal of the old Verified program will help curb fraud and spam on the platform. We also wanted to find out how Twitter Blue users with exclusive benefits and non-paying users are compatible in the long term and whether Twitter plans to switch completely to the subscription model in the future. As expected, we only got a “poop” emoji back from the official Twitter press contact. This has been Twitter’s response to all press inquiries since mid-March, as Musk announced in a tweet: