Twitter announced on Sunday that it is relaunching the Twitter Blue service on Monday, December 12. However, the price of Twitter Blue will be higher for Apple users than others. People can subscribe to Twitter Blue on the web at $8 per month, or on iOS for $11 per month. The Twitter Blue subscription service allows its users to avail features such as the blue check mark, among others.
Twitter Blue: Upcoming features
Twitter Blue subscribers with a verified phone number will get a blue check mark once they are approved. Some new features which will soon be available for Twitter Blue subscribers include their tweets being prioritised to help fight scams and spam, seeing 50 per cent fewer advertisements than non-verified people, ability to post longer videos to Twitter, and getting early access to select new features with Twitter Blue Labs.
Twitter Blue Labs will offer subscribers early access to features the microblogging platform is testing, before they are available to everyone.
Twitter also announced that Twitter Blue subscribers will get the 'Edit Tweet' option, allowing them to edit their published tweets. Also, Twitter Blue users will get 1080p video uploads and reader mode. Using reader mode, one can change threads into readable text. Also, ads, clutter and distractions will be removed.
Twitter will start replacing the "official" label with a gold check mark for businesses. Later in the week, the microblogging platform will use a grey check mark for official government and multilateral accounts.
Twitter Blue subscribers will be able to change their handle, display name or profile photo. However, if they do so, they will temporarily lose their blue checkmark until their account is reviewed again.
Twitter made these announcements in a thread, replying to which the microblogging platform's owner wrote: "And many other features to come!"
Why is Twitter Blue subscription service higher for Apple users?
Many people are wondering why Twitter Blue costs more for iOS users. A Twitter user wrote that a probable reason could be that Apple takes a 30 per cent cut when subscribing to Twitter Blue through an iOS device. Therefore, to maintain profit, the subscription service costs more for iOS users. In order to avoid paying more, iOS users can buy the Twitter Blue subscription service on the web and then use it on their iOS device.
Following the launch of the Twitter Blue subscription service in November, the number of fake accounts on the microblogging platform increased manifold, as a result of which the service was discontinued for some time. Twitter Blue was scheduled to be relaunched on November 29, but the launch was delayed.