The joke’s on you: Twitter to remove legacy verified badges on April Fool’s Day
The day many Twitter users have been dreading is coming. Twitter has announced when it will start removing blue checkmarks from legacy verified accounts on the platform.
If you’re one of the lucky people to have been verified before Elon Musk took over the service, you’ll lose the blue badge on April 1. That’s right, the momentous change will take place on April Fool’s Day.
Why that date? Well, Musk loves memes, so maybe he did it for a laugh. After all, this is the guy who tweeted a picture of himself walking into Twitter with an actual kitchen sink in his hands after acquiring the firm, with the caption: “Let that sink in!”
Twitter made the announcement in a tweet on Thursday, March 23. As a result, the only way to be verified after April 1 will be to pay for Twitter Blue, the platform’s subscription service. The divisive move could see thousands of celebrities, journalists, influencers, brands and businesses lose their checkmark unless they pay for it.
On April 1st, we will begin winding down our legacy verified program and removing legacy verified checkmarks. To keep your blue checkmark on Twitter, individuals can sign up for Twitter Blue here: https://t.co/gzpCcwOpLp
Organizations can sign up for https://t.co/RlN5BbuGA3…— Twitter Verified (@verified) March 23, 2023
Some users derided the decision. A recurring theme among the negative reactions was that people who pay for verification would be mocked by others.
Some claimed the move would backfire by effectively zapping all value from a once coveted status symbol. Others said it would cause widespread confusion as people struggled to discern reputable sources of information from troll accounts.
turning Verified badges into “I have $11/month” badges is pointless lol. If everyone (including burners) can have them now, why would anyone want one?
— Justin Thind (@JustinThind) March 23, 2023
Thank you for doing this. I’m not even being sarcastic. Some users on Twitter were starting to confuse me for the type of person who’d pay $8 a month to feel special. It was embarrassing.
— Mike Drucker (@MikeDrucker) March 24, 2023
who the hell decided to roll this out on April Fool's Day?
— ella dawson (@brosandprose) March 23, 2023
Here's how this will shake out. Actual notable people won't be taken seriously because folks will think they're a troll account with twitter blue. Some notable will not pay for the check and people will think that's a fake account too. Brilliant work all around.
— Kallao (@stephenkallao) March 23, 2023
so it'll be cool to NOT be verified now gotcha!
— TEENWOLF (@TEENWOLFREMIX) March 23, 2023
Twitter’s announcement coincides with a wider rollout of Twitter Blue, which is now available worldwide after previously being limited to around 50 countries.
The subscription costs £9.60 per month in the UK, or £100.80 for a year, on the web. Twitter is asking businesses to pay £950 per month, plus an additional £50 monthly for each affiliated sub-account, to maintain the gold check-mark verification badges the company introduced in December.
Entering Twitter HQ – let that sink in! pic.twitter.com/D68z4K2wq7
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 26, 2022
Alongside the blue tick, Twitter Blue also offers additional perks, including amplified tweets that appear higher in replies, mentions and searches, half the amount of ads and the ability to share longer videos.
As part of Twitter Blue’s global launch, Twitter has also changed the cooling-off period for new accounts to buy Twitter Blue to 30 days.
The company was forced to pull the subscription upon its launch in November after many accounts started impersonating celebs, politicians and brands. To avoid any further embarrassment upon relaunch, Twitter added a condition that new users would have to wait 90 days to gain access to Twitter Blue.