Twitter’s app in Apple’s App Store was updated on Saturday to begin charging $8 for sought-after blue check verification marks, in Elon Musk’s first major revision of the social media platform.
The change comes just a week after Musk purchased the social media company for $44 billion. The billionaire entrepreneur and CEO of electric carmaker Tesla (TSLA.O) has cut half of Twitter’s staff and promised to start charging users more.
Twitter said in an iOS update that those who “sign up now” for $7.99 a month will get the blue checkmark next to their user names, “just like the celebrities, companies, and politicians you already follow.”
Prior to Musk’s arrival, blue check marks next to a person’s user name meant Twitter had verified the account belonged to the person or company claiming it. It was unclear how or if Twitter intended to verify the user’s identity other than by charging a fee.
Other benefits of the update, according to the iOS notification, include “half the ads,” the ability to post longer videos to Twitter, and priority ranking for quality content.
A request for comment was not immediately responded to by Twitter or Musk via Tesla.
Twitter’s new CEO announced the changes earlier this week as part of his efforts to monetize the social media network and reduce its reliance on advertisements. Twitter is currently free for the majority of users.
