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Elon Musk’s Twitter Blue now live: Here's how to differentiate between ‘official’ and blue tick accounts

The new twitter blue provides several benefits, including blue checkmark, priority in replies, mentions, and search and 'half as many ads'

SAN FRANSISCO, CALIFORNIA: Elon Musk's acquisition of Twitter has sparked intriguing discussions about the 'Twitter Blue' and official Twitter handles. Twitter recently announced that the blue tick on accounts from now onward will cost $8 a month. The new Twitter Blue is currently available only on iPads and iPhones. Meanwhile, there are some differentiating factors between Twitter Blue and officially verified accounts. 

According to The Verge.com, Twitter Blue provides several benefits, including verification, priority in replies, mentions, and search, and half as many ads and now you can actually get the new subscription. People who subscribe to the $8 plan will receive a blue checkmark in their account.  According to a support page, “Only accounts subscribed to Twitter Blue on iOS on or after November 9, 2022, are eligible for the blue checkmark moving forward.” Hence, there is no clarity about when the feature will be available to Android users.

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Twitter has also reported that new Twitter accounts created on or after Wednesday, November 9, 2022, are not eligible to sign up for Blue “at this time." Twitter officials have also clarified that “legacy verified accounts also may be taken away at any time for any reason at all by Twitter.” Therefore, a legacy verified account that doesn’t subscribe to Twitter Blue may lose its verification mark at any time. 

Earlier, in the pre-Musk era, the blue tick was given to accounts of politicians, celebrities, media personnel, and prominent personalities without any subscription fee. However, in this case,  the new Twitter Blue won’t need any kind of verification. It will be an opt-in paid subscription. It will give you access to a host of additional features, according to Business Today. Esther Crawford, Director of product management at Twitter, said, "A lot of folks have asked about how you'll be able to distinguish between @TwitterBlue subscribers with blue checkmarks and accounts that are verified as official, which is why we’re introducing the “Official" label to select accounts when we launch."

There is also a specific type of verification mark called the grey mark, which is free and will be used to authenticate public interest accounts, as per kenyans. Crawford also tweeted, "The new Twitter Blue does not include ID verification – it’s an opt-in, paid subscription that offers a blue checkmark and access to select features. We’ll continue to experiment with ways to differentiate between account types."

Crawford also added, "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."