Twitter has finally announced the launch of Twitter Blue months after being a part of the rumour mill. The new subscription-based service is currently available to iOS users, but only in Canada and Australia. Twitter says that the service will rollout to more countries – both for Android and iOS – in the near future. At the moment, Twitter Blue carries premium features such as Undo Tweet, Boomark Folder, and Reader mode. Details of these features were first uncovered last month by software engineer Jane Manchun Wong who is well-known in the industry for reverse engineering apps and discovering updates before they are officially launched. The social media giant has also set up a new handle (@TwitterBlue) where users can find all the latest developments from the company directly.
What is the cost of Twitter Blue and how to subscribe: Twitter says that Twitter Blue subscriptions are priced regionally and paid monthly. It essentially means that prices will differ based on regions, at least for now. If you’re living in Canada or Australia and own an iPhone, you can find pricing information within the app by heading to the Profile menu (represented by three vertical lines) and then tap on Twitter Blue. According to Reuters, Twitter Blue costs CAD 3.49 (approx Rs 210) or AUD 4.49 (approx Rs 250) per month in Canada and Australia, respectively. The service will cost $2.99 (approx Rs 220) per month in the United States, as per details available on Apple App Store.
What does Twitter Blue include: The current tier of Twitter Blue includes premium features such as Bookmark Folders to let users organise favourite Tweets in a neat folder and Reader Mode to improve long Twitter threads’ readability. The company says with the Reader Mode, the platform will turn threads into easy-to-read, long-form text. However, the most anticipated upgrade is the Undo Tweet that lets users “pull back and revise Tweets that haven’t been posted” yet. User can retract the Tweet within 30 seconds after publishing. The company notes that the feature is not an Edit button but simply removes the post, and only paid iOS users have its access. The Twitter blog post does not highlight whether subscribers will still get to see ads and promotional tweets.
Twitter also states that it will add more premium features once the testing in select regions is done. Last year, the company surveyed select users about a paid service and the questionnaire included a list of features such as undo send, custom colour options, profile badges, auto-replies, social listening, brand surveys, custom stickers and hashtags, job ads, insights into other accounts, and education resources.
Is Twitter Blue coming to India soon: Twitter has not shared any details over its availability in India yet; however, it may arrive in the coming months as the platform enjoys huge popularity in the country. In a response to News18 over its India-specific availability, a Twitter spokesperson said, “We have not determined pricing for markets other than Australia and Canada just yet. We intend to learn from these first two markets, iterate and improve the product as we go along.”
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