Twitter Blue was launched in mid-2021 as a subscription offering, enabling some perks for Twitter users. The service was relaunched late last month under new CEO Elon Musk’s supervision. Among the key benefits of this service was the ability to gain the blue check mark next to profile names, also known as the verified badge, provided subscribers pay $8 (~ Rs 650) each month.
But that could be changing, at least for iPhone users, according to a report by The Information. The microblogging site will reportedly start charging customers $11 (~ Rs 900) if they subscribe to Twitter Blue through the App Store on iPhone. This appears to be Twitter’s solution to bypass the 30% commission that Apple keeps from in-app purchases made using its platform.
Also Read: Elon Musk to kill ‘Twitter for iPhone,’ ‘Twitter for Android’ device labels, find out why
The report adds that customers who purchase Twitter Blue on the web will only pay $7, effectively encouraging users to get Twitter’s subscription service outside the app. It’s unclear, however, if the aforementioned $11/month pricing will also apply to subscriptions bought via Android’s Google Play Store.
This comes not long after Musk claimed that Apple threatened to block Twitter from its app hub, only to walk back the statement not long after. It has been a tricky few months for Musk and Twitter as a vast portion of the workforce was fired after the Tesla and SpaceX chief’s takeover of the social media site.
Twitter’s problem with advertisers
Twitter is also dealing with a mass exodus of advertisers and celebrities since Elon Musk acquired the company for an estimated $44 billion. The tipping point for most firms came when pharma giant Eli Lilly lost billions of dollars after a parody account claimed that insulin would be offered for free.
Given that Eli Lilly is one of the largest producers of insulin in the world, the tweet went viral almost instantly, with the company’s official Twitter account even issuing a clarification about the impostor account. However, the damage had already been done.
Source: The Information
Via: Reuters,