Elon Musk’s social media platform, Twitter, is set to re-launch its premium Twitter Blue subscription service today, December 12. As per a Tweet from Esther Crawford, Twitter’s director of product management, users will be charged $8 for subscriptions through the web and Android devices. Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) users, on the other hand, will be charged $11 for the subscription on their iOS devices. Charging for the premium service is a way to both increase the number of verified users and earn revenue.
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The tweet has created anxiety among Twitter users, who are baffled as to why such disparities exist. One theory suggests that Musk is overcharging iPhone users to recover the 30% commission fee charged on iOS devices for in-app purchases.
Since buying Twitter on October 27, Musk and the team have been facing multiple issues, including an exodus of advertisers and employees in light of dwindling financial performance. Having said that, the recent data from SEMRush (a company that provides web traffic analytics) suggests that advertisements have grown by 23% from October to November.
What Is the Point of Twitter Blue?
Remarkably, the revamped Twitter Blue service will have a more stringent verification process that will do away with the lapses of the last launch, which led to several fake accounts and impersonation issues. Also, the subscription will allow users to edit their tweets, upload 1080p videos, and put them in reader mode, all while getting a blue checkmark. Most importantly, Twitter Blue users will be spammed with 50% fewer advertisements.
Further, the tweet also noted that businesses that are currently associated with Twitter will get a gold checkmark, and other businesses will soon be eligible for the same once verified. Similarly, government organizations will get a grey checkmark.
Considering the discrepancy in the subscription practices, it will be worthwhile to see if Apple users ditch their iOS devices and use normal web services to get themselves verified or do away with the Blue Subscription altogether.
