Tag: grey checkmark

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Mobile Syrup

Twitter’s new Blue subscription vanishes

Twitter’s revamped Blue subscription, which gives subscribers a blue checkmark and little else for $9.99/mo CAD, has mysteriously vanished just over a day after launch.

After a false start over the weekend, Twitter actually launched the revamped Blue service on Wednesday for iPhone users in select countries, including Canada. However, now when users tap the ‘Twitter Blue’ option in the Twitter app’s menu, they get an error saying it’s not available:

“Thank you for your interest! Twitter Blue will be available in your country in the future. Please check back later.”

The Verge reported that several users don’t even see the Blue option in the menu anymore, while those that do still see it can’t sign up. I checked Twitter on an iPhone, and while I still had the Blue menu option, I got the error saying it wasn’t available. There are also tons of tweets from users experiencing similar issues.

At the moment, it’s not clear why Twitter Blue is no longer available. It’s possible Twitter intentionally paused the service amid an influx of fake imposter accounts, or it could be related to the company’s decision to limit Blue sign-ups for new accounts (although that doesn’t explain why accounts that have been around for a while, like mine, don’t have access to Blue).

The Verge suggests that this could all be related to Twitter’s new owner Elon Musk firing half the company’s employees earlier this week. Several reports, including from current employees, warned that Twitter was in danger of breaking as issues, errors, and bugs pile up. The company’s remaining staff are also being pushed to the limit, with many working long hours and even sleeping in the office. Plus, Musk recently emailed employees demanding a return to in-office work amid warnings that Twitter could go bankrupt.

The Twitter Blue rollout itself was tumultuous. Aside from the false start, it launched after Twitter added a new grey ‘Official’ badge to some verified accounts. Within hours, Musk killed the grey badge, tweeting that the blue badge would be the “great leveler [sic].” Following the launch of Blue, Twitter was flooded with fake accounts using the paid blue badge to appear more legitimate, something that many predicted would happen. Musk also should have seen it coming, given how upset he was by all the accounts impersonating him, but instead, Musk seems convinced the paid blue badge will actually fix these problems.

And now the grey ‘Official’ badge is making a return, at least according to the Twitter Support page. Humorously, the two most recent Twitter Support tweets directly contradict each other, with a November 9th tweet saying the company isn’t adding an ‘Official’ label and a November 11th tweet saying it has now added a label. Neat.

Follow along with the latest Musk-induced Twitter turmoil here.

Via: The Verge

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Twitter attempts to ‘solve’ blue checkmark woes with grey check

Over the last few days, we’ve watched Twitter’s new owner, Elon Musk, witness firsthand why it’s a bad idea to let anyone pay for verification on Twitter. Now, the social media platform is rolling out a solution to the blue check problem it created — another checkmark.

This time around, it’s a grey checkmark accompanied by an ‘Official’ label, which has started to appear on some Twitter accounts.  The company’s Esther Crawford, who’s heading up the new Twitter Blue subscription that comes with a blue check, tweeted that the new grey check mark was intended to distinguish between accounts the company verified as official and accounts that paid for a blue checkmark.

“Not all previously verified accounts will get the “Official” label and the label is not available for purchase. Accounts that will receive it include government accounts, commercial companies, business partners, major media outlets, publishers and some public figures,” Crawford wrote in a follow-up tweet. Crawford also confirmed that Twitter Blue doesn’t include ID verification.

Twitter’s ‘Official’ checkmark in a tweet.

As of this morning, several accounts have suddenly gained a grey ‘Official’ checkmark, which appears underneath an account’s name and handle (@) in tweets and in the account’s profile page. It remains unclear if Twitter plans to open the new ‘Official’ badge up for applications, or if the company will arbitrarily decide which accounts qualify and which don’t.

Twitter’s ‘Official’ checkmark in an account profile.

Moreover, many accounts still have the old blue verification badge, even if they haven’t subscribed to Twitter Blue. For example, I still have my badge despite never paying for Blue — and I don’t plan to start anytime soon. As a result, many Twitter accounts are now double-badged.

While the new ‘Official’ badge is arguably a helpful change that should cut down on the potential for impersonation, there remains a distinct lack of transparency around the system (which was a notable issue with the old verification system). Additionally, the old blue checkmark is more visible than the grey check — coupled with the history behind the blue checkmark, the new double-check system may increase confusion over which accounts are authentic or not.

At the moment, the blue checkmark really only means one of two things: that account paid for Twitter like a loser, or that account was previously verified and hasn’t lost the blue check yet. Most accounts seem to be in the latter camp for now since Twitter delayed the change to the blue checkmark. Now that the U.S. midterm elections are over, that will begin to change.

You can find more about the ongoing Musk x Twitter drama here.

Source: @esthercrawford Via: The Verge