Twitter relaunches subscriber service after previous flub
Twitter is once again attempting to launch its premium service, a month after a previous attempt failed.
The social media company said Saturday it would let users buy subscriptions to Twitter Blue to get a blue checkmark and access special features, including the ability to edit Tweets after posting.
- Verified Twitter accounts impersonating LeBron James, others
- Twitter no longer using "official" check marks. "I killed it," Elon Musk says.
The blue checkmark was originally given to companies, celebrities, government entities and journalists verified by the platform. After Elon Musk bought Twitter for $44 billion in October, he launched a service granting blue checks to anyone willing to pay $8 a month. But it was inundated by imposter accounts, including those impersonating Musk's businesses Tesla and SpaceX, so Twitter suspended the service days after its launch.
There is no verification process required for subscribers to the new premium service which is available on November 9 for existing Twitter accounts using iOS in the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and U.K. Newly created accounts will have to undergo a 90-day waiting process before subscribing, according to the company.
"Accounts that receive the blue checkmark as part of a Twitter Blue subscription will not undergo review to confirm that they meet the active, notable and authentic criteria that was used in the previous process," the company states on its website.
The relaunched service will cost $8 a month for web users and $11 a month for iPhone users. Twitter says subscribers will see fewer ads, be able to post longer videos and have their tweets featured more prominently.
