Elon Musk has pushed back the relaunch date for Twitter Blue following a series of mishaps stemming from the $7.99 subscription service’s verification system.
Twitter has been in a whirlwind of news since Elon Musk sought to purchase the company for $44 billion back in April 2022.
Now that Musk’s deal has officially gone through, it seems the business magnate is keen to implement his previously proposed ideas now that he’s in charge.
The first of those new ideas has been implemented, with Twitter updating its iOS app to add new features to the Twitter Blue subscription. Notably, subscribers will now receive a blue Verification Badge by paying $7.99.
Twitter Blue subscribers will receive Verification Badges
On November 5, 2022, Twitter updated its iOS app with some “great new features to Twitter Blue” and teased there was “more on the way soon.”
The update increased Twitter Blue’s subscription price from $4.99 to $7.99. Additionally, anyone who subscribes to Twitter Blue will receive a Verification Badge “just like the celebrities, companies, and politicians you already follow.”
Musk has claimed he would change the verification process for some time now, with previous rumors suggesting that he would charge verified accounts $19.99 to keep their badge.
However, while the iOS update has gone live for iPhone users, the new Twitter Blue subscription service isn’t live just yet – and Musk has pushed back the official launch date until the end of the month.
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On November 15, Musk revealed that the platform will officially relaunch Twitter Blue on November 29 to iron out any more problems. However, that date didn’t quite stick. For the time being, there’s now no current ETA on when Twitter Blue’s full rollout will land.
Holding off relaunch of Blue Verified until there is high confidence of stopping impersonation. Will probably use different color check for organizations than individuals.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 22, 2022
That’s not all; additionally, Musk also stated that any changes to an account’s verified name will “cause loss of checkmark until name is confirmed by Twitter to meet Terms of Service.”
With new release, changing your verified name will cause loss of checkmark until name is confirmed by Twitter to meet Terms of Service
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 15, 2022
Twitter’s product manager, Esther Crawford, opened up about the eventual release of Twitter Blue on November 5, noting that “some folks may see us making updates because we are testing and pushing changes in real-time” and confirmed the new service would be “coming soon.”
The new Blue isn’t live yet — the sprint to our launch continues but some folks may see us making updates because we are testing and pushing changes in real-time. The Twitter team is legendary. 🫡 New Blue… coming soon! https://t.co/ewTSTjx3t7
— Esther Crawford ✨ (@esthercrawford) November 5, 2022
Before this new service was officially confirmed by Twitter itself, users across the platform voiced their concern about the decision to allow anyone a Verification Badge.
The hashtag RatVerified trended on Twitter on November 3, 2022, where users protested the change by adding the rat emoji next to their names instead of a Verification Badge.
A slew of influencers have also expressed some concerns with Twitter’s new verification system, citing issues with non-mutuals their verified tab, as well as what it means to buy verification after earning it prior to the Twitter Blue subscription system.
Now that the change has officially gone through and Twitter Blue will allow anyone to display a Verification Badge, only time will tell how this new service will change the future of the platform.