Twitter Blue to Relaunch With These New Features; Apple Users to Pay More

Twitter Inc will relaunch a revamped version of its subscription service Twitter Blue on Monday at a higher price for Apple users, the company said in a tweet on Saturday.

The company said users could subscribe to the revamped service that will allow subscribers to edit tweets, upload 1080p videos and get a blue checkmark post account verification, for $8 (roughly Rs 660) per month through the Web but for $11 (roughly Rs 900) per month through Apple iOS.

Twitter did not explain why Apple users were being charged more than others on the Web but there have been media reports that the company was looking for ways to offset fees charged in the App Store.

Twitter had initially launched Twitter Blue early in November before pausing it as fake accounts mushroomed. It was then scheduled to launch again on November 29 but was pushed back.

Elon Musk, who took Twitter private for $44 billion in November had in a series of tweets last month listed various grievances with Apple, including the 30% fee the iPhone maker charges software developers for in-app purchases.

The fee has drawn criticism and lawsuits from companies such as Epic Games, the maker of Fortnite, while attracting the scrutiny of regulators globally.

The commission could weigh on Musk's attempts to boost subscription revenue at Twitter, in part to make up for the exodus of advertisers over content moderation concerns.

He had then accused Apple of threatening to block Twitter from its app store and also said that the iPhone maker had stopped advertising on the social media platform.

However, after a subsequent meeting with Apple chief executive Tim Cook, he tweeted that the misunderstanding about Twitter being removed from Apple's App Store was resolved.

Both Twitter and Apple did not respond to Reuters request for comments.

© Thomson Reuters 2022

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