No thanks to Elon Musk, it appears Apple users have to pay more for a Twitter subscription. From December 12, iOS users have to shell out $11 for the Twitter blue service while web and Android users only need to pay $8.
Twitter blue users get a blue tick as well as the ability to edit tweets and upload 1080p videos among other features.
Secret tax for Apple users”
Twitter didn’t give a reason as to the prejudicial treatment for Apple users but speculation is that Elon Musk is hitting back at Apple for its secret 30% tax practice.
Musk has been speaking up against the 30% fee that the company charges developers for in-app purchases.
In fact, video game developers Epic Games and Spotify have been challenging this practice for years. Earlier Musk had said that Apple may be removing Twitter from its App Store but those fears have been put to rest after a meeting with CEO Tim Cook.
No explanation has been given by Twitter or Musk for the 30% increase. Interestingly Apple is currently dominating the advertising spend on Twitter. In the first quarter of 2022 Apple accounts for more than 4% of its total revenue making it the number one advertiser.
Blue ticks
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As the new format kicks off, Twitter will start to label a gold check mark for businesses and a grey check mark for government and multilateral accounts.
Teething problems are expected as Twitter Blue is launching in five countries first with a rapid expansion expected thereafter.
Initially Twitter Blue resulted in many fake users impersonating people and companies resulting in many celebrities and companies pulling out of the platform altogether.
In fact a fake Tesla account was also launched by unscrupulous people who said that Tesla cars catch fire, and that Musk’s wealth was actually from government subsidies and other allegations.
Esther Crawford who is director of product management at Twitter said that this time around there would be a strict vetting system to prevent impersonators and fake accounts.