'Twitter Blue' Subscription Service Is Live, But You Can't Use It Yet
It looks like Twitter may actually be taking steps towards a paid subscription service, as its "Twitter Blue" service for $2.99 a month was listed on the iOS app store this week.
But that's largely all we know. Twitter hasn't officially made any announcements, and it doesn't look like the service is available to pay and join at this stage — although app researcher Jane Manchun Wong, who was allegedly the first person to uncover the service, says otherwise.
Wong has posted a series of Twitter posts over the past couple of weeks disclosing what she'd discovered about the paid Twitter Blue service. Just this week, she's jumped back onto the social media site to say that Twitter has confirmed its paid subscription service and that for testing purposes she's "become the first paying Twitter Blue customer."
Twitter confirms “Twitter Blue”, which costs $2.99 per month by publicly including such In-App Purchase on the App Store
— Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) May 27, 2021
For testing, I’ve become the first paying Twitter Blue customer ?
Twitter Blue comes with Color Themes as well as custom App Icons
Reader Mode coming soon https://t.co/RxQHwi6apl pic.twitter.com/UC7kfNS9PE
It's not 100 percent clear what Twitter Blue will offer paying customers, but rumors have been circulating, mostly thanks to Wong's keen eye.
According to Wong, the paid feature will enable Twitter users to "Undo" their tweets and to enable a "Reader Mode," making reading longer thread posts an easier experience. Color Themes and customizable App Icons are also apparently in the works.
No dates or countries where the option will first be available have been disclosed, nor has Twitter confirmed the paid service.
It's not the first mention of a potential paid service for Twitter, as executives have previously explained that increasing "revenue durability" is one of their top priorities, reported the BBC. So paid features would fall under that category. However, before Twitter Blue's appearance on the iOS app store this week, no pricing had been disclosed.
It seems that Twitter is looking forward, and moving onwards and upwards. We'll have to wait and see what executives have to say about when it'll start going live for everyone to join.