Twitter Blue: Elon Musk announces price increase to $8 for guaranteed blue checkmark and fewer ads

Twitter's new owner Elon Musk confirmed the monthly subscription cost for Twitter Blue is going up. It is also going to be a requirement to maintain or acquire the Twitter Verification blue checkmark.

Earlier reports claimed Twitter Blue's price hike would be $20 from $4.99. Musk, however, put the rumors to rest in a series of tweets on Tuesday to announce that the platform's subscription service will cost $8 per month. But he did confirm that the biggest change is the inclusion of guaranteed Twitter Verification approval that would put the coveted blue tick on a user's profile page. Among other things, this means Twitter Verification will be available to anyone willing to pay the monthly subscription fee.

Before Musk took over, Twitter's blue tick was generally provided to public figures, such as politicians, government-maintained pages, social media personalities, celebrities, athletes, content creators, journalists, and activists. The goal had been to let users and followers know that the tweets they are seeing are authentic and not coming from an imposter.

It was not stated whether or not Twitter Blue subscribers will have to provide other identification documents to verify their identities. But Musk said a "secondary tag" will appear below the names of public figures with verified Twitter pages.

From Twitter / @elonmusk

Along with the verified status, Musk said replies coming from a Twitter Blue account will be a "priority." It likely means that subscribers' replies will be bumped up in a Twitter conversation. The revamped Twitter Blue is promised to create a revenue stream for creators, although Musk did not provide specifics yet.

Twitter is also rolling out the ability to post long-form videos and audio with the Twitter Blue price hike, which had been in testing for some time before Musk bought the company. Members will also get free access to articles from publishers "willing to work" with Twitter.

Musk previously said the intent to increase the membership cost is so that Twitter's revenue will become less reliant on ads. The platform is not removing ads from Twitter Blue just yet, but Musk said subscribers should be seeing "half as many ads."

A fine print for the pricing changes, new Twitter Blue perks, and revamped verification process is not yet available as of this writing. Musk did not say when the new subscription fee will be implemented and when these features will launch.

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