To get verified on Twitter, you just need a phone number -- and between $8 and $11
Starting Monday 12 December, Twitter is relaunching Twitter Blue and giving users the opportunity to pay for the blue checkmark of verification.
Since Elon Musk took over at Twitter, the decision to open up verification to anyone willing to pay was one of the more controversial decisions. The scheme was paused last month, but now the paid-for blue tick is opening up once again. This time around, however, things are a little different, with iOS users getting a worse deal.
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Previously reserved for celebrities, journalists, government officials and other persons of note, the blue tick assigned to verified accounts has long been the goal of many Twitter users. There was understandable excitement when it was announced that anyone could become verified by simply paying for a Twitter Blue subscription, but the concerned expressed by many that it would lead to a problem with impersonation and fake account proved to be entirely well-founded.
So, what's different this time? There is the promise that accounts will be "reviewed" before a blue checkmark is handed out, but there is no detail of quite what this involves, other than checking phone numbers.
In addition to (probable) verification, those willing to pay for Twitter Blue will also gain the ability to edit tweets, upload higher definition videos and more, as the company explains in a series of tweets:
The company concludes by saying: "thanks for your patience as we've worked to make Blue better – we’re excited and looking forward to sharing more with you soon!"
As well as the gold and grey checkmarks Musk proposed recently, there is another notable change with the process this time -- the price.
While Twitter Blue will cost $8 for anyone signing up visa the Twitter website or though the Android app, iOS users will find that they are charged $11. This 37 percent price difference is Twitter is offsetting the 30 percent fee Apple charges developers for in-app purchases.
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