Twitter is reportedly testing a feature that allows users who purchase verification badges to decide whether to display their blue ticks publicly or keep them hidden. This update comes as the platform prepares to discontinue legacy blue checks starting April 1, while simultaneously introducing additional profile customization options for subscribers of the Twitter Blue service. Under Elon Musk’s leadership, Twitter initiated the sale of blue verification ticks last year.
Alessandro Paluzzi, a reverse engineer, discovered that Twitter Blue subscribers will soon have the option to choose if they want to showcase their blue verification badge or keep it concealed.
Paluzzi shared a screenshot of the feature, which appears to be in trial phases, with his audiences on Twitter.
#Twitter continues to enhance user control over verification and identity by incorporating the ability to show or hide the blue checkmark on profiles :eyes: pic.twitter.com/6uTjBON21N
— Alessandro Paluzzi (@alex193a) March 21, 2023
Regardless of their choice, all Twitter Blue users are anticipated to retain the perks associated with the blue tick, such as the capability for longer tweets and editing of published posts.
This feature could shield paid users from the ongoing ridicule directed towards those who purchase verification badges, with some dubbing the blue tick a ‘badge of shame.’
This is so funny. They remove the verification process and add the check to the paid subscription as an incentive. Turns out everyone hates the paid users so they gotta have the option to hide it https://t.co/g7KsoZk2IA
— Serial Bookmarker (@Kontatheking1) March 24, 2023
so lemme be sure I have this right: twitter is removing legacy checks, meaning blue check=paid sub. but paid checks have been ridiculed en masse, so twt is working on the option to hide the check. meaning that those users are essentially paying $8 for a secret shame to hide? https://t.co/SE1IuhKJKb
— new cat adoptee moss (@Nyarlathojeff) March 24, 2023
As of now, Twitter has not officially confirmed the release details of this feature.
The blue checkmark, previously granted for free to verified accounts of politicians, celebrities, and public figures, was made available for purchase last year as part of a strategy to increase revenue.
The cost of purchasing a blue tick on Twitter is Rs. 900 per month in India, while in the U.S., it is priced at $8 (approximately Rs. 660) monthly.
To ensure that exclusive features and benefits are available only to subscribers, Twitter is retracting the blue ticks that were previously awarded through legitimate verification before Musk’s acquisition of the platform.
The company intends to continuously enrich the Twitter Blue subscription with new features to attract more subscribers.
In a related announcement in January 2023, Musk indicated that a higher-tier subscription would be ad-free.
