Twitter to relaunch its verification subscription service on Monday

Dec. 12 (UPI) -- Twitter is relaunching its paid verification subscription service on Monday after shelving the program last month after the social media platform became swarmed with new accounts impersonating public figures and companies.

Twitter announced the relaunch Sunday, stating Twitter Blue will cost $8 a month, with those who use the Twitter application on Apple devices to be charged $11.

Along with including the verified blue checkmark, subscribers will be able to edit tweets, upload 1080p video and have access to "reader mode."

we're relaunching @TwitterBlue on Monday - subscribe on web for $8/month or on iOS for $11/month to get access to subscriber-only features, including the blue checkmark pic.twitter.com/DvvsLoSO50— Twitter (@Twitter) December 10, 2022

The subscription service was first rolled out on Nov. 9, offering the blue checkmark previously reserved for verified public figures, including celebrities, politicians and other notable figures, and companies to users who pay $7.99 a month.

However, the program was paused two days later after users utilized Twitter Blue to make accounts impersonating former President George W. Bush, NBA superstar LeBron James and even Elon Musk, who initiated the controversial change less than two weeks after he bought the social media platform in late October.

Twitter said Sunday that businesses that have been christened with an "official" label will soon receive a gold checkmark, with government and multilateral accounts to get grey checkmarks later this week.

Under the program, subscribers will also receive 50% fewer ads than non-subscribers while their tweets will also be prioritized, it said.

Subscribers will also be able to change their account handle, display name or profile photo, it said, but they will temporarily lose their blue checkmark until their account has been re-reviewed.

"[T]hanks for your patience as we've worked to make Blue better -- we're excited and looking forward to sharing more with you soon!" it said.

The announcement came days after Musk, who bought the platform for $44 billion, said Thursday that Twitter was planning to purge itself of some 1.5 billion inactive accounts in order to free up dormant handles and user names.

According to its Q2 earnings report, there were 237.8 million monetizable daily active users.