https://www.reuters.com/technology/twitter-launches-8-monthly-subscription-with-blue-checkmark-2022-11-05/ Skip to main content Reuters home * World * Business * Legal * Markets * Breakingviews * Technology * Investigations * More My View Register * * * * * * * * * Technology 3 minute readNovember 5, 202210:54 PM UTCLast Updated ago Musk's Twitter updates app to start charging $8 for blue checkmark By Rhea Binoy Illustration shows Twitter logos and U.S. dollar banknotes Illustration shows Elon Musk image on smartphone and printed Twitter logos [1/2] Twitter logos and U.S. dollar banknotes are seen in this illustration, August 10, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo 12 * * * * * * * * Nov 5 (Reuters) - Twitter on Saturday updated its app in Apple's App Store to begin charging $8 for sought-after blue check verification marks, in Elon Musk's first major revision of the social media platform. The change comes a week after Musk took over the social media company in a $44 billion deal. The billionaire entrepreneur and CEO of electric car maker Tesla (TSLA.O) cut half the staff at Twitter and has vowed to start charging users more. In an update to Apple iOS devices, Twitter said those who "sign up now" for $7.99 a month can receive the blue checkmark next to their user names, "just like the celebrities, companies and politicians you already follow." Before Musk took over, blue check marks next to a person's user name meant Twitter confirmed the account belonged to the person or company claiming it. It was not immediately clear how or if Twitter planned to verify the identity of the user beyond charging a fee. According to the iOS notification, other benefits in the update include "half the ads", the ability to post longer videos to Twitter and priority ranking for quality content. Twitter and Musk, via Tesla, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Twitter's new boss flagged the updates earlier this week in his push to monetize the social media network and make it less reliant on ads. Twitter is currently free for most users. Twitter's update said the new service with verification will be available in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. "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 Blue will roll out in India in "hopefully less than a month," Musk tweeted in reply to a question from a follower. loading In a separate tweet, Musk also added that "fixing search is a top priority" on Twitter. "We can beat that," he replied in another tweet when a user pointed out that YouTube gives creators 55% of ad revenue. "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," Musk added in a tweet. As of Saturday, the update to Twitter Blue remained at the old price of $4.99. Shortly after the update was available to users, Twitter's early stage products executive Esther Crawford said the new service was not yet live. "The new Blue isn't live yet -- the sprint to our launch continues but some folks may see us making updates because we are testing and pushing changes in real-time," she said in a tweet. Earlier this week, Crawford went viral after she retweeted a photo of herself sleeping on the office floor at Twitter's San Francisco headquarters after Musk's takeover. loading "When your team is pushing round the clock to make deadlines sometimes you #SleepWhereYouWork". Additional reporting by Megan Davies; Sneha Bhowmik in Bengaluru; Editing by Daniel Wallis and Ken Li * * * * * Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. Read Next / Editor's Picks * TechnologyU.N. urges Musk to safeguard human rights at Twitter, article with gallery9:14 PM UTC * TechnologyUnited Airlines suspends ad spending on Twitter, article with image12:51 AM UTC * TechnologyTwitter says 50% of staff laid off, moves to reassure on content moderation, article with gallery12:03 AM UTC * TechnologyEXCLUSIVE Telcos push EU to make Big Tech pay for network costs, article with galleryNovember 4, 2022 Technology * Musk orders Twitter to cut infrastructure costs by $1 billion - sources, article with imageTechnology * November 3, 2022 Elon Musk has directed Twitter Inc's teams to find up to $1 billion in annual infrastructure cost savings, according to two sources familiar with the matter and an internal Slack message reviewed by Reuters, raising concerns that Twitter could go down during high-traffic events like the U.S. midterm elections. * TechnologyTelevisa's Izzi unit launches mobile packages with AT&T , article with imageNovember 3, 2022 * TechnologyDorsey's Block posts a jump in revenue, boosting shares , article with galleryNovember 3, 2022 * TechnologyCoinbase reports third-quarter loss as volumes drop, article with imageNovember 4, 2022 * TechnologyPayPal's "prudent" revenue growth forecast cut sinks shares, article with imageNovember 3, 2022 Site Index Browse * World * Business * Legal * Markets * Breakingviews * Technology * Investigations , opens new tab * Lifestyle About Reuters * About Reuters , opens new tab * Careers , opens new tab * Reuters News Agency , opens new tab * Brand Attribution Guidelines , opens new tab * Reuters Leadership , opens new tab * Reuters Fact Check , opens new tab * Reuters Diversity Report , opens new tab Stay Informed * Download the App , opens new tab * Newsletters , opens new tab Information you can trust Reuters, the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the world's largest multimedia news provider, reaching billions of people worldwide every day. Reuters provides business, financial, national and international news to professionals via desktop terminals, the world's media organizations, industry events and directly to consumers. Follow Us * * * * * Thomson Reuters Products * Westlaw , opens new tab Build the strongest argument relying on authoritative content, attorney-editor expertise, and industry defining technology. * Onesource , opens new tab The most comprehensive solution to manage all your complex and ever-expanding tax and compliance needs. * Checkpoint , opens new tab The industry leader for online information for tax, accounting and finance professionals. Refinitiv Products * Refinitiv Workspace , opens new tab Access unmatched financial data, news and content in a highly-customised workflow experience on desktop, web and mobile. * Refinitiv Data Catalogue , opens new tab Browse an unrivalled portfolio of real-time and historical market data and insights from worldwide sources and experts. * Refinitiv World-Check , opens new tab Screen for heightened risk individual and entities globally to help uncover hidden risks in business relationships and human networks. * Advertise With Us , opens new tab * Advertising Guidelines , opens new tab * Cookies , opens new tab * Terms of Use , opens new tab * Privacy , opens new tab * Digital Accessibility , opens new tab * Corrections , opens new tab * Site Feedback , opens new tab All quotes delayed a minimum of 15 minutes. See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays. (c) 2022 Reuters. All rights reserved