With its first significant update to the social media network, Twitter formally released an update of its app on the Apple App Store on Saturday. The newly released update charges $8 for the highly coveted blue check verification mark.
According to Reuters, users of Apple iOS devices can now acquire the blue checkmark next to their usernames by paying $7.99 a month, which will qualify them for the verification mark “just like the celebrities, companies and politicians you already follow.”
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The iOS notification lists “half the ads,” the option to submit longer videos to Twitter, and priority ranking for quality content as other advantages of the update.
It will be available in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
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“As soon as we confirm it’s working well in the initial set of countries and we have the translation work done, it will roll out worldwide,” Musk said in a tweet on Saturday.
“Twitter will soon add ability to attach long-form text to tweets, ending absurdity of notepad screenshots. Followed by creator monetization for all forms of content,” he added in another tweet.
Prior to Musk’s takeover of the social media platform, the blue checkmarks next to a user’s name signified Twitter had verified that the account belonged to the person or business claiming it.
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Beyond a charge, Twitter’s plans to confirm the user’s identity are not known yet.
Twitter’s early-stage products executive Esther Crawford stated the new service was not yet live shortly after the update became available to users.
Although the new Blue isn’t yet live, she noted in a tweet that “the sprint to our launch continues,” adding that “some folks may see us making updates because we are testing and pushing changes in real-time.”
(With inputs from agencies)
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