On April 1st, Twitter began removing blue checkmarks, also known as verified badges, from legacy accounts on its platform. The move was announced by Elon Musk in December 2021, who called the way they were originally given out “corrupt and nonsensical.” Blue checkmarks were originally used to verify that an individual or entity was active, authentic, and notable. Today, users can purchase a blue check through the Twitter Blue subscription service for $8 per month. Purchasing a checkmark provides users with access to subscriber-only features, such as fewer ads on their timeline, prioritized ranking in conversations, bookmark folders, and the ability to craft, edit, and undo tweets. The move to remove legacy checkmarks is seen as a necessary step in improving the platform’s verification process.
On April Fool’s Day, Twitter began removing the blue checkmarks, otherwise known as verified badges, from legacy accounts on its platform. The move was announced by Elon Musk in December 2021, and since then, users with legacy checkmarks have been receiving a pop-up notification that reads, “This is a legacy verified account. It may or may not be notable.” The removal of these checkmarks was deemed necessary by Musk, who called the way they were originally given out “corrupt and nonsensical.”
Before Musk acquired Twitter, blue checkmarks were used to verify that an individual or entity was active, authentic, and notable. Verified checkmarks were given out for free. Today, users can purchase a blue check through the Twitter Blue subscription service for $8 per month. However, due to app store costs, sign-ups for iOS and Android cost $11 per month. Other checkmark colors and badges are also available for purchase to denote whether an account belongs to a business or a government, for example.
Purchasing a checkmark provides users with access to subscriber-only features, such as fewer ads on their timeline, prioritized ranking in conversations, bookmark folders, and the ability to craft, edit, and undo tweets. This move comes just hours after Twitter made Blue subscriptions available globally.
Twitter has not responded to requests for information about how many users have already signed up for Twitter Blue. However, the move to remove legacy checkmarks has been anticipated for months and is seen as a necessary step in improving the platform’s verification process.
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