Twitter picked a peculiar date to do something big.
The company behind the popular microblogging platform recently announced it would soon retire legacy blue checkmarks on Apr. 1 unless the people who own accounts that have it pay for a regular Twitter Blue subscription.
Twitter's Blue subscription service comes with a verification process that, once accomplished, lets people get a blue verified checkmark for themselves.
Twitter Legacy Blue Checkmark Retirement Details
Twitter mentioned through its Twitter Verified account it would begin winding down its legacy verified program and removing legacy blue verified checkmarks on Apr. 1, also known as April Fool's day.
While the date is peculiar, the change is very much real and is not a "pre-season April Fool's joke." People have been anticipating the removal of these legacy checkmarks since Dec. 2022, when Twitter CEO Elon Musk tweeted that the company would remove such checks "in a few months" due to them being acquired "in a corupt and nonsensical" manner.
Since then, legacy blue checkmark owners were seeing a pop-up when they check the checkmarks that notify them that the account they have is a legacy-verified account and that it may or may not be notable, per Tech Crunch.
However, there are a few exceptions to this new rule. Musk mentioned on his Twitter account that any person's Twitter account affiliated with a verified organization is automatically verified.
Unfortunately, most users with legacy blue checkmarks need to choose between paying for a Twitter Blue Verification or having their checkmark removed and having a regular non-paying Twitter account.
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What Is Twitter Blue?
Twitter Blue is more than the microblogging company's way of verifying someone's identity. For $11 for Android and iOS platforms, a Twitter Blue subscription allows newly-subscribed Twitter users to gain a sneak peek into Twitter's upcoming new features, just like what it did before Musk's takeover.
Additionally, Twitter Blue subscribers will get fewer ads during their visit to the platform and see their tweets on the top of replies, mentions, and search. They can also post longer videos with higher quality.
Moreover, Twitter Blue subscribers can listen to live and recorded podcasts anytime anywhere through its Spaces Tab. Non-Twitter Blue subscribers only get to listen to podcasts already airing instead.
Twitter previously offered its Blue subscription for $8 to Android users due to the platform's developer, Google, not asking a cut from the transaction's proceeds. While the company didn't mention why it increased its subscription price for Twitter Blue for Android users, it is plausible that the company wants to compensate for Google's share in the app's in-app purchases.
Last but not least is the blue verified checkmark that lets other users know that an account isn't an impersonator trying to pass itself as another user's real account. While Twitter Blue subscribers can change their display name and/or profile photo, doing so means they'll temporarily lose their blue checkmark until the company reviews their account again.
This measure is meant to prevent impersonation within the platform.
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