There used to be several steps to earn a blue “verified” checkmark on Twitter, but the platform’s new program lets users purchase one for $7.99 per month.
Earlier this month, Twitter launched Twitter Blue for its iPhone app – and everyone was confused.
For $7.99 a month users would have access to special features like editing tweets and the blue check that had previously been used to prove that an account was official. The service was part of CEO Elon Musk's plan to generate revenue after acquiring Twitter in October for $44 billion, but the plan quickly backfired.
The tech company quickly suspended the service after a rise in false impersonations, including a costly one to Eli Lily, but there are still accounts that have the blue tick due to their subscription. Here's how to spot the difference:
As of now, all the blue checks still look the same so when you see a tweet with a verified mark next to it you'll want to head to the profile of the person who posted the tweet.
What does an official verified account look like?
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Tap on the blue check next to their name and one of two messages will pop up.
If the account went through the previous method of becoming "official," it will say, "This account is verified because it's notable in government, news, entertainment, or another designated category."
What does a Twitter Blue verified account look like?
If not, you will see, "This account is verified because it's subscribed to Twitter Blue."
On Tuesday, Elon Musk tweeted that they will be relaunching the subscription on November 29th. There is no word if the pop-up messages will change but until then, this is the best way to weed out official sources from subscribers.
