Twitter Blue Relaunches With A Higher Fee And Account Restrictions
The Twitter Blue subscription is relaunching tomorrow, with a pair of crucial changes in tow. First, it's going to be more expensive for folks using the Twitter app on their iPhones. Subscription to Twitter's premium tier will cost $8 per month if you sign up for it via a web browser. However, if you pay for a Twitter Blue subscription using the mobile app, you will have to pay an $11 fee on a monthly basis.
subscribers will be able to change their handle, display name or profile photo, but if they do they’ll temporarily lose the blue checkmark until their account is reviewed again
— Twitter (@Twitter) December 10, 2022
That's because, under Elon Musk's leadership, Twitter is not willing to absorb the cost of the 30% App Store tax that Apple charges for all in-app transactions, be it subscription to a service like Twitter Blue or paying for items like coins and costumes in mobile games. Musk recently expressed that he would go to war with Apple instead of paying its App Store tax.
Even though Musk patched things up with Apple after a meeting with CEO Tim Cook, he is still technically not paying the App Store tax. Instead, he is passing the burden to Twitter users with iPhones, who will pay the $11 per month premium to offset the cost. It was recently reported that after factoring in Apple's tax, Twitter Blue might actually prove to be a loss-making venture for the social media company. It appears that Musk is avoiding that fate by having customers bear the burden of Apple's revenue policies.
Convenience fee, with a side serving of restrictions
Another notable change coming to Twitter Blue is the restriction on changing core profile details. Twitter says if a subscriber changes their account handle, display name or profile picture, the verified blue tick mark will be temporarily be taken away. The company's official handle says if a Twitter subscriber makes any account changes, "they'll temporarily lose the blue checkmark until their account is reviewed again."
As for the benefits of a Twitter Blue subscription, the company says users will be able to edit their tweets, upload higher resolution 1080p videos, and access the reader mode for reading articles in a non-intrusive fashion. Twitter also has a few other notable perks cooking up. Currently listed with a "Coming soon" status, Twitter Blue subscribers will see only half the number of ads served to regular users, and they will also be able to upload longer videos. In addition to it, their replies and mentions will automatically be catapulted to the top of a conversation.