Twitter Blue, now rebranded as “X Blue,” initially gained traction for its feature allowing any paying user to sport the coveted blue verification badge. However, over time, members who shelled out $8 monthly or $84 annually have faced mockery for purchasing the service. TechCrunch recently noticed a revision on X Blue’s support page, which now offers a unique perk for its users – the option to mask their verification badge.
In the “Profile customization” section of account settings, subscribers will now discover a new “Hide your blue checkmark” function that they can select. By enabling this feature, the verification badge will disappear from their profile and beside their usernames on posts. The company did, however, caution that the badge might still be visible in certain areas and some functionalities might be inaccessible during the time the badge is concealed. The specifics of these potential limitations were not disclosed, but there have been several new alterations introduced for the benefit of premium users since Elon Musk assumed leadership.
The character limit for premium users’ posts has been boosted to 25,000, and the platform is even developing new mechanisms for sharing extensive content. The video duration limit has also been extended to 3 hours. Conversely, the platform has become progressively less appealing for non-paying users. In July, the company declared it would curtail the volume of Direct Messages that free users can send in order to curb spam, and it previously imposed a stringent limit on the daily tweet visibility due to rampant data scraping. While the restriction was temporary, unverified accounts were initially capped at viewing 600 posts per day.
Alessandro Paluzzi, an app developer, was the first to detect the ability to hide verification badges in March. The screenshots shared by Paluzzi indicate that the verification procedure remains unaltered, requiring users to present a government-issued ID for identity verification. However, the notable change is that a user’s membership in X Blue will not be readily apparent at first glance.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about X Blue verification badge
What is the new feature introduced for X Blue subscribers?
X Blue subscribers now have the option to hide their blue verification checkmark. This feature can be activated under the “Profile customization” section in account settings.
How has X Blue changed since Elon Musk took over?
Since Elon Musk took over, X Blue has rolled out several changes for its paying users. These include increasing the post limit to 25,000 characters, extending video duration to 3 hours, and developing new tools for publishing long-form content.
How are free users affected by the changes in X Blue?
Free users now face certain limitations such as a cap on the number of Direct Messages they can send and restrictions on daily tweet visibility due to attempts to limit spam and data scraping.
Who first spotted the capability to hide checkmarks on X Blue?
The ability to hide checkmarks on X Blue was first spotted by app developer Alessandro Paluzzi in March.
Does the verification process for X Blue change with the new “Hide your blue checkmark” option?
No, the verification process remains the same, requiring users to submit a government ID for identity verification. The new feature simply allows users to hide the blue checkmark on their profile and posts.
More about X Blue verification badge
- Twitter’s Verification Policy
- Changes under Elon Musk’s leadership
- About X Blue
- Twitter’s Direct Message Limitations
- Alessandro Paluzzi’s Findings
6 comments
Interesting move by Musk. Guess it’s all about giving people choice? can see some finding this useful.
Not sure about this… feels like the service is less and less about regular users and more about those willing to pay up. What’s next?
I’ve been paying for X Blue since the start, good to have this feature. Though would be nice to know what features i might lose…
hiding a blue checkmark? sounds shady to me. who would even want to do that?
Wait, so you’re telling me I can pay to get a blue tick, and then pay to hide it? Lol what’s the point, really?
Seems like Musk’s touch is changing more than just Tesla and SpaceX, Twitter’s going through a real transformation! Excited to see how this pans out…