Twitter – introduces new ‘Blue’ subscription service
Twitter has listed a new subscription service on app stores, in an indication that the social media giant is preparing to trial the offering soon.
“Twitter Blue” is listed as an in-app purchase, priced at £2.49 in the UK and $2.99 in the US.
Twitter previously announced it was working on special features for paid subscribers but has given no further details and nor has it confirmed online claims that the service could allow users to “undo” tweets.
Although “Twitter Blue” is now listed on app stores, it isn’t yet fully enabled for users.
According to a technology expert the new service also has an “undo tweet” feature as well as a “reader mode” to make reading long threads easier but these claims are yet not confirmed by Twitter.
It is informed by technology sources that Twitter’s main priority is to increase “revenue durability” for which it is also developing and experimenting with other ways to diversify its revenues beyond advertising this year and further ahead.
Twitters plans for revenue diversification may also include subscription services and other ways to offer individuals and businesses access to special features on the platform in addition to its continued focus on increasing its advertising business.
Earlier last month, Twitter had launched a new “tip jar” feature that allowed people to send money to others on the social network.
The “tip jar” feature initially is available to select group of people i.e. “creators”, journalists, experts, and non-profits.
Twitter said the feature was “an easy way to support the incredible voices that make up the conversation”.
The function adds a small icon to a user’s profile – on mobile devices only for now – with a drop-down menu for other payment providers such as PayPal, Venmo, or the Cash App, the latter two of which are popular in the United States.
The “tip jar” feature though is hit with a controversy of privacy breach as the payment is made through third party sources / applications which make visible the tip sender email address or the postal address.