Welcome to Elon Musk’s Twitter, the place the principles are made up and the check marks don’t matter.
The Tesla and SpaceX CEO first introduced his bid to purchase Twitter in April 2022, zealously pushed to rid the platform of spam bots and defend free speech.
“That is simply my robust, intuitive sense that having a public platform that’s maximally trusted and broadly inclusive is extraordinarily necessary to the way forward for civilization,” Musk said at a TED convention on the day he made his supply. “I don’t care in regards to the economics in any respect.”
Even for one of many richest males on the planet, $44 billion is some huge cash to cough as much as purchase a middling social platform. Regardless of his fervent declarations about increasing “the scope and scale of consciousness” by means of public discourse, the billionaire obtained chilly toes. A month later in Might, he tried to kill the deal, claiming that Twitter had extra bots than its public filings let on. After a very chaotic authorized discovery course of, which even included some embarrassing texts, Musk was compelled to seal the deal. By October, the platform was his.
Since Musk purchased Twitter and took the corporate personal, the information across the microblogging platform has been a whirlwind, rife with verification chaos, API entry shakeups, ban reversals and staggering layoffs. When you’re simply catching up, right here’s a whole timeline of what’s happening on the chicken app.
Right here’s an ongoing timeline of the notable Twitter updates and adjustments since Musk’s takeover, beginning with the newest information:
Might 2023
Twitter is contemplating a cheaper verification plan for organizations
Twitter is considering an organizational verification plan that doesn’t price $1,000 a month. Over the Cinco de Mayo weekend, Elon Musk mentioned on Twitter that the corporate is engaged on a less expensive plan for small companies, however didn’t give any particulars about the price.
We may have a decrease price tier for small companies, however must handle the onboarding of organizations rigorously to stop fraud.
The $1000/month is supposed for bigger organizations.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 6, 2023
Twitter confirmed Circle tweets were temporarily not private
Twitter confirmed a safety error that made Circle tweets floor publicly. TechCrunch reported the glitch in early April, however the platform confirmed the difficulty Might 5 in an e mail despatched to Twitter Circle customers.
“In April 2023, a safety incident could have allowed customers exterior of your Twitter Circle to see tweets that ought to have in any other case been restricted to the Circle to which you had been posting,” the e-mail mentioned. Twitter claims that the bug has now been mounted, and that the group is aware of what precipitated it.
Twitter makes its API free for public announcement accounts
Twitter introduced on Might 2 that it’s making its API free for verified authorities or public-owned providers posting about public utility alerts reminiscent of climate alerts, transportation data and emergency warnings. This comes a month after the corporate introduced its new API pricing tiers.
Twitter is randomly logging out users
After reporting earlier that Twitter was experiencing a bug that was permitting individuals to edit their bios to briefly regain their Verified checkmarks, the Twitter web site this afternoon has begun to forcefully sign off customers at random. There are a selection of complaints about the issue on Twitter itself, indicating that at the least some are in a position to get again in after being booted from the location.
The problem seems to be impacting desktop customers at the moment who’re utilizing Twitter through the online. Some declare they’re being logged out repeatedly.
A bug on Twitter causes legacy blue checks to reappear by updating your Twitter bio
It doesn’t appear to matter what textual content you’re including to your bio — TechCrunch reporter Amanda Silberling added a number of areas, then obtained her examine again for a second. It even confirmed up with the outdated textual content that designates that she is “notable in authorities, information, leisure, or one other designated class,” and he or she didn’t, in truth, pay for this. However when you refresh the web page it disappears. The truth is, it’s unclear whether or not anybody else may even see your examine briefly reappear.
April 2023
EU warns Twitter over disinformation
Twitter was confirmed April 25 as considered one of 19 major tech platforms subject to centralized oversight by the European Union’s government beginning this fall, when so-called very massive on-line platforms (VLOPs) are anticipated to be compliant with the Digital Providers Act (DSA). However the Fee has not wasted any time warning the Elon Musk-owned social community that issues aren’t trying good for staying on the best aspect of the incoming regulation.
In a pair of tweets, Vera Jourova, the EU’s values and transparency VP, warned of “yet one more destructive signal” by Twitter — accusing the platform underneath Musk of “not making digital data house any safer and free from the Kremlin #disinformation & malicious affect”.
Twitter now shows labels on tweets with reduced visibility
Twitter mentioned that labels can be proven to each authors and viewers. Often, these tweets will present textual content reminiscent of “Visibility restricted: this Tweet could violate Twitter’s guidelines towards Hateful Conduct.”
Twitter’s enforcement policy says that tweets with such labels is not going to present up in search outcomes, suggestions or timelines — these tweets can be hidden in each the “For You” and “Following timelines. Moreover, there can be no adverts positioned adjoining to posts with lowered visibility.
Twitter restored Blue verification mark for top accounts, even if they didn’t pay for Twitter Blue
Over the April twenty first weekend, a number of high accounts (with greater than 1 million followers) obtained their verification marks again. Nonetheless, a lot of them, together with author Neil Gaiman, footballer Riyad Mahrez, musician Lil Nas X, actress Janel Parrish Lengthy and British TV presenter Richard Osman mentioned that they didn’t pay for the blue badge.
In March, The New York Times reported that Twitter was contemplating handing out a free verification mark to the highest 10,000 manufacturers and corporations. It’s not clear if Twitter is making use of the identical coverage to non-public accounts.
Twitter removes ‘government-funded’ news labels
Twitter has eliminated “government-funded media” labels on all accounts, from NPR to the Chinese language state-affiliated Xinhua Information. Twitter even seems to have deleted its web page explaining the “government-funded media” labels.
Twitter sends an email seemingly requiring advertisers to have a verified checkmark
Several Twitter users have posted screenshots of an e mail reportedly despatched by Twitter, which states that ranging from April 21, verified checkmarks are required to proceed operating adverts on the platform.
WOW… Twitter is now telling advertisers it MUST subscribe to Twitter Blue or Verified Organisations to proceed operating adverts! pic.twitter.com/4DrDu82Zi0
— Matt Navarra (@MattNavarra) April 21, 2023
Twitter officially kills legacy blue checkmarks on 4/20
With the legacy checks gone, Twitter may have verification marks just for paid customers and companies, in addition to authorities entities and officers. Now if a person sees a blue examine mark and clicks on it, the label reads: “This account is verified as a result of they’re subscribed to Twitter Blue and verified their cellphone quantity.”
Microsoft drops Twitter from its advertising platform
Microsoft is dropping Twitter from its promoting platform beginning on April 25, practically two months after Twitter introduced that it’ll start charging a minimal of $42,000 per 30 days to customers of its API, together with enterprises and analysis establishments. The strikes imply customers will now not have the ability to entry their Twitter account, or create, schedule or in any other case handle tweets by means of Microsoft’s free social media administration service.
Twitter proprietor Elon Musk threatened to take authorized motion:
They skilled illegally utilizing Twitter knowledge. Lawsuit time.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 19, 2023
Twitter quietly removes policy against misgendering trans people
Twitter up to date its content material moderation pointers concerning hateful content material, eradicating a coverage that prohibited the focused deadnaming or misgendering of transgender individuals. Enacted in 2018, the coverage explicitly said that it violated Twitter’s guidelines to repeatedly and purposefully name a transgender individual by the improper identify or pronouns.
Twitter to label tweets that get downranked for violating its hate speech policy
Twitter plans to “quickly” start including seen labels on tweets which have been recognized as probably violating its insurance policies, which has impacted their visibility. It didn’t say when precisely the system can be totally rolled out throughout its community.
Usually, when tweets violate Twitter’s insurance policies, one of many actions the corporate can take is to restrict the attain of these tweets — or one thing it calls “visibility filtering.” In these situations, the tweets stay on-line however turn into much less discoverable, as they’re excluded from areas like search outcomes, traits, beneficial notifications, For You and Following timelines, and extra.
Traditionally, the broader public wouldn’t essentially know if a tweet had been moderated on this manner. Now Twitter says that may change.
Twitter introduces 10,000-character-long tweets for Blue subscribers
Twitter’s new characteristic will let Blue subscribers submit 10,000-character-long posts — as if the social community is trying to compete with a rival newsletter platform. Twitter has additionally added help for daring and italic textual content formatting.
Lengthy-form writing can be not fully new. Final June, the corporate launched a program referred to as Twitter Notes for select writers. Nonetheless, that program was shut down underneath Musk. After taking on the corporate he also killed newsletter tool Revue, a startup Twitter had acquired in 2021.
NPR, PBS and a handful of other news organizations bail on Twitter as Musk meddles with account labels
A PBS spokesperson confirmed to Axios that PBS had “no plans to renew tweeting” after Twitter gave it a murky “government-funded media” label over the weekend. Just a few other news entities appeared to have adopted go well with, together with the distinguished Boston NPR affiliate WBUR, Hawaii Public Radio and LA-based native information supply LAist.
The Australian Broadcasting Firm (ABC Australia), Australia’s Particular Broadcasting Service (SBS), New Zealand’s public broadcaster RNZ, Sweden’s SR Ekot and SVT, and Catalonia’s TV3.cat a were labeled “government-funded media” weeks later.
Twitter partners with eToro to show real-time stock and crypto information
This expands upon the social community’s Cashtag characteristic, which offered information about a limited number of stocks and crypto coins through TradingView data.
The brand new partnership with eToro goes past simply displaying data. It additionally redirects customers to the eToro website the place they will interact in buying and selling. When you seek for a inventory on Twitter, you will note a button saying “View on eToro,” which redirects to the location.
🎉Very excited to be launching a brand new $Cashtags partnership with @Twitter which is able to allow Twitter customers to see real-time costs for a a lot wider vary of shares, crypto & different property in addition to having the choice to speculate by means of eToro. @elonmusk https://t.co/Iv2q9iNxbf
— eToro (@eToro) April 13, 2023
Elon Musk says he only bought Twitter because he thought he’d be forced to
Elon Musk gave a uncommon interview to an precise reporter late on Tuesday, chatting with BBC reporter James Clayton on Twitter Areas. In the course of the interview, Clayton pressed Musk on whether or not his buy of Twitter was, in the long run, one thing he went by means of with willingly, or whether or not it was one thing he did as a result of the lively courtroom case on the time by which Twitter was attempting to drive him to undergo with the sale was going badly.
The reply was that Musk did certainly solely do the deal as a result of he believed legally, he was going to be compelled to take action anyway.
Elon Musk says Twitter will officially remove legacy checkmarks on 4/20
That is the “remaining date,” he mentioned in a tweet. If the transfer goes by means of, Twitter may have verification marks just for paid customers and companies, and authorities entities and officers.
Remaining date for eradicating legacy Blue checks is 4/20
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 11, 2023
Twitter, Inc. is now X Corp.
Twitter, Inc. is now referred to as X Corp., in response to a court filing in California.
Since Twitter is now not a public firm, it doesn’t need to report updates like identify adjustments to the SEC. However in any case, the brand new identify was noticed in an April 4 doc associated to far-right activist Laura Loomer’s lawsuit towards Twitter and Fb.
“Twitter, Inc. has been merged into X Corp. and now not exists,” the doc states.
Ex-Twitter CEO and other execs sue firm over unpaid legal bills
The lawsuit, filed in Delaware Chancery Court docket, alleged that Twitter has to pay greater than $1 million to the previous executives for authorized payments they incurred whereas on the firm to answer requests by the Division of Justice and Securities and Trade Fee.
Twitter Circle tweets aren’t that private
Quite a few Twitter customers reported a bug on April 10 by which Circle tweets are surfacing on the algorithmically generated For You timeline. That implies that your supposedly personal posts may breach containment to achieve an unintended viewers, which may rapidly spark some uncomfortable conditions.
TechCrunch has spoken to a number of customers who’ve additionally skilled this glitch firsthand; many more have reported the glitch of their tweets. Most frequently, it appears that evidently Circle tweets are being surfaced within the For You timeline to customers who observe the poster, however will not be of their Circle. Others have reported that their Circle tweets are reaching even additional than those that observe them.
A year later, Twitter is now resurfacing official Russian accounts in search results
The Elon Musk-owned platform has resumed surfacing accounts of Vladimir Putin and the Russian Embassy in search outcomes. A former Twitter worker instructed the publication that this transfer is probably going due to a coverage change.
Twitter won’t let you retweet, like or reply to Substack links
Twitter is censoring Substack hyperlinks by making the posts inconceivable to answer to, like or retweet. Whereas quote-tweeting works, merely urgent the retweet button surfaces an error message: “Some actions on this Tweet have been disabled by Twitter.”
You didn’t hear this from us, however in case you hyperlink to a Substack through a redirected URL, it appears to submit with out restrictions.
Twitter Blue subscribers will now be shown ‘half ads’ on the platform
Twitter is rolling out further options for Blue subscribers together with displaying 50% of adverts of their timeline in comparison with non-paid customers and a visibility increase in search.
“As you scroll, you will note roughly twice as many natural or non-promoted Tweets positioned in between promoted Tweets or adverts. There could also be instances when there are extra or fewer non-promoted Tweets between promoted Tweets,” Twitter’s description of the characteristic says.
Whereas Twitter is claiming to cut back adverts on paid subscribers’ feeds, it’s exhausting to show if they’re truly seeing fewer adverts other than anecdotal experiences.
Twitter singles NPR out with misleading state-backed media label
NPR’s Twitter account on the platform now comes with a tag denoting it as “US state-affiliated media.” However NPR doesn’t meet Twitter’s personal definition for a state-affiliated account:
State-affiliated media is outlined as retailers the place the state workout routines management over editorial content material by means of monetary assets, direct or oblique political pressures, and/or management over manufacturing and distribution…
State-financed media organizations with editorial independence, just like the BBC within the UK for instance, will not be outlined as state-affiliated media for the needs of this coverage.
GET REKT @NPR
Properly finished, @elonmusk 🤣 pic.twitter.com/jvX15QWSf5
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) April 5, 2023
NPR later announced that it’ll now not be posting content material to its 52 official Twitter feeds, changing into the primary main information group to go silent on the social media platform.
Twitter’s verification changes feel like an accidental April Fools’ joke
Musk had claimed that beginning on April 1, blue checkmarks that beforehand indicated that an account was official, verified and notable can be maintained solely for individuals who have a subscription to Twitter Blue. The change can be a part of a wider push for Twitter to gate beforehand free options, and bundle new ones, underneath the $8 per 30 days Twitter Blue subscription, which prices $11 on iOS and Android gadgets.
As quite a few celebrities and companies spoke out to say they wouldn’t pay the $8 charge, it appeared that eradicating so many blue checks can be simpler mentioned than finished. As an alternative, Twitter merely updated the text accompanying a blue examine to make it unclear whether or not somebody was verified for being notable, or for paying for Twitter Blue. In an final act of pettiness, Twitter eliminated The New York Occasions’ verification examine when the information large mentioned it wouldn’t pay for verification.
Primarily based on early returns, the revamped Twitter Blue has yet to contribute significantly to Twitter’s bottom line, with simply $11 million generated from cellular signups in its first three months.
March 2023
Twitter announces new API tiers; free, basic and enterprise levels
The three API tiers embody a free stage meant for content material posting bots, a $100/month fundamental stage and a pricey enterprise stage. Subscribing to any stage will get entry to the Adverts API at no further price.
Twitter talked about that over the subsequent 30 days, the corporate will discontinue outdated entry ranges, together with Customary (for v1.1), Important and Elevated (for v2), and Premium.
Developers remain unhappy with Twitter’s new API construction.
Introducing a brand new type of Free (v2) entry for write-only use instances and people testing the Twitter API with 1,500 Tweets/month on the app stage, media add endpoints, and Login with Twitter.
Get began: https://t.co/CqCRD3vbE5
— Twitter Dev (@TwitterDev) March 29, 2023
Elon Musk says Twitter will only show verified accounts on its “For You” timeline starting April 15
Musk justified the transfer by saying this was the “solely sensible option to tackle superior AI bot swarms taking on.”
Beginning April fifteenth, solely verified accounts can be eligible to be in For You suggestions.
The is the one sensible option to tackle superior AI bot swarms taking on. It’s in any other case a hopeless shedding battle.
Voting in polls would require verification for similar purpose.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 27, 2023
New Twitter accounts now have to wait only 30 days to purchase Twitter Blue
Twitter decreases the wait to buy Twitter Blue for newly created Twitter accounts from 90 days to 30 days.
“New subscriptions to Twitter Blue can be found globally on internet, iOS, or Android. Not all options can be found on all platforms. Newly created Twitter accounts won’t be able to subscribe to Twitter Blue for 30 days. We can also impose ready intervals for brand new accounts sooner or later at our discretion, and with out discover,” the Twitter Blue web page reads.
Twitter to kill ‘legacy’ blue checks on April 1
Twitter introduced that the elimination of legacy blue checkmarks will start April 1 for customers that aren’t subscribed to Twitter Blue.
Elon tweeted back in December that the corporate will take away legacy checkmarks “in a number of months.” After that, customers with legacy blue checks had been seeing a pop-up once they clicked on their checkmark, which learn, “This can be a legacy verified account. It may or may not be notable.” However as soon as Twitter botched this elimination of checkmarks, they modified the copy once more — as of now, users cannot distinguish whether someone has a checkmark as a result of they paid, or as a result of they had been deemed notable.
On April 1st, we are going to start winding down our legacy verified program and eradicating legacy verified checkmarks. To maintain your blue checkmark on Twitter, people can join Twitter Blue right here: https://t.co/gzpCcwOpLp
Organizations can join https://t.co/RlN5BbuGA3…
— Twitter Verified (@verified) March 23, 2023
Twitter’s privacy-preserving Tor service goes dark
Twitter’s Tor service, a model of the location that could possibly be accessed even in international locations the place the social community is banned, has gone darkish after the corporate didn’t renew its certificates, which expired on March 6.
Pavel Zoneff, director of strategic communications on the Tor Venture, instructed TechCrunch that the location “is now not out there seemingly with no plans to resume.”
Twitter Blue is now available in more than 20 countries
This growth makes the social community’s subscription service out there in additional than 35 international locations internationally.
These international locations embody Netherlands, Poland, Eire, Belgium, Sweden, Romania, Czech Republic, Finland, Denmark, Greece, Austria, Hungary, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Slovakia, Latvia, Slovenia, Estonia, Croatia, Luxembourg, Malta and Cyprus.
February 2023
Layoffs continue
Twitter laid off greater than 200 workers in its fourth spherical of cuts, together with loyalist Esther Crawford — the chief government of Twitter funds who oversaw the corporate’s Twitter Blue verification subscription.
Twitter’s workers is down from about 7,500 workers to lower than 2,000 since Musk.
A number of hypothesis amongst ex workers that Musk have to be about to put in a complete new regime and that’s why he’s cleansing home. In any other case the cuts don’t make sense. “Exhausting to maintain the lights on with the people who find themselves nonetheless left,” one ex supervisor instructed me.
— Alex Heath (@alexeheath) February 26, 2023
One of many quite a few rounds of cuts eradicated the platform’s total accessibility group. Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) referred to as on Elon Musk to carry the accessibility group again in an open letter. Markey requested a response by March 17.
Twitter allows cannabis ads in states where it’s legal
After updating its ad policy on February 15, Twitter grew to become the primary social media app within the U.S. to permit hashish promoting. Hashish adverts will run on Twitter in U.S. states the place hashish is authorized and in Canada.
Twitter delays launch of its new API platform…again
The preliminary date set to chop free entry to Twitter’s API was February 9, which was then prolonged to February 13. Now, the social community has delayed the shutdown once more, this time with no date set.
There was an immense quantity of enthusiasm for the upcoming adjustments with Twitter API. As a part of our efforts to create an optimum expertise for the developer neighborhood, we can be delaying the launch of our new API platform by a number of extra days.
Extra data to observe…
— Twitter Dev (@TwitterDev) February 13, 2023
The delay jeopardizes the plans of builders and startups constructing instruments across the Twitter API as they wouldn’t have any readability on future spending and finances allocation on the developer platform.
Twitter’s basic tier of its API will cost $100 per month
The corporate initially deliberate to close down free entry to its API on February 9. Now it has prolonged this deadline to February 13. Twitter mentioned that it’ll cost $100 per 30 days for the fundamental tier of API. This can get builders entry to a “low stage of API utilization,” in addition to the Adverts API.
Now we have been busy with some updates to the Twitter API so you possibly can proceed to construct and innovate with us.
We’re excited to announce an extension of the present free Twitter API entry by means of February 13. Right here’s what we’re delivery then 🧵
— Twitter Dev (@TwitterDev) February 8, 2023
When builders attempting to hunt readability across the new API guidelines went to the developer forum website, they discovered that the location had been put behind a login. The discussion board was lastly accessible 4 days afterward February 13.
Twitter Blue introduces 4,000-character tweets
Twitter introduced the power to submit longer tweets for paid customers on February 8. As an alternative of being restricted to 280 characters, paying Blue subscribers can submit tweets which are as much as 4,000 characters.
Whereas solely Twitter Blue subscribers can submit lengthy tweets, all customers will have the ability to learn them. You will note solely the primary 280 characters on the timeline, and if you wish to learn extra, you possibly can click on on “Present extra.”
want greater than 280 characters to precise your self?
we all know that a lot of you do… and whereas we love a superb thread, generally you simply wish to Tweet every little thing . we get that.
so we’re introducing longer Tweets! you’re gonna wish to examine this out. faucet this 👉…
— Twitter Blue (@TwitterBlue) February 8, 2023
Elon Musk claims Twitter will start sharing ad revenue with creators
Elon Musk introduced in a tweet on February 3 that the corporate would quickly start sharing promoting income with creators on the platform for the primary time. He follows up the announcement with a catch: Eligible customers have to be signed up for Twitter Blue.
Payouts have but to reach creators’ wallets.
More monetization pushes: Twitter Blue expands new countries, brings back Spaces curation
Twitter Blue subscriptions are actually out there in Saudi Arabia, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal and Spain, making it 12 areas in complete to which customers can subscribe to it as of February 2. On February 8, Twitter Blue extended services further to India, Indonesia and Brazil.
Twitter additionally introduced launching a brand new Areas tab with curated stations for dwell and recorded areas, together with podcasts. The social community is making podcasts out there solely to Blue subscribers and “some individuals on Twitter for iOS and Twitter for Android apps.”
Twitter to end free access to its API
Twitter will discontinue providing free entry to the Twitter API beginning February 9 and can launch a paid model, Twitter mentioned because it seems for extra avenues to monetize the platform.
Beginning February 9, we are going to now not help free entry to the Twitter API, each v2 and v1.1. A paid fundamental tier can be out there as a substitute 🧵
— Twitter Dev (@TwitterDev) February 2, 2023
Every week later and days earlier than the February 9 deadline, Elon Musk mentioned that after getting suggestions from builders, Twitter will provide a write-only API for “bots providing good content that is free.”
Twitter discontinues CoTweets
Twitter announced February 1 that it’s discontinuing CoTweeting, a characteristic that allowed two customers to co-author a tweet. Customers will have the ability to view the set of co-tweets for a month. After that, they are going to be mechanically transformed to retweets on the co-author’s profile.
January 2023
Twitter partners with DoubleVerify and IAS on brand safety initiative
As a result of declining advert income and advertiser exits, Twitter introduced on January 25 that it has teamed up with adtech corporations DoubleVerify and Integral Advert Science (IAS) to inform advertisers if their advert is positioned round inappropriate content material. This system, out there first for U.S.-based promoting campaigns, permits manufacturers to research the content material adjoining to — primarily tweets above and beneath the advert — all kinds of adverts, together with promoted tweets.
Twitter rolls out its bookmark feature on iOS
The brand new design shows the bookmark button underneath the expanded tweet view, making it simpler so as to add a submit to your bookmarks.
Earlier than the change, you needed to faucet on the share button to open the sharing card after which faucet on the bookmark choice to avoid wasting a tweet. Along with the brand new button, as quickly as you faucet on the button, you will note a banner on the high of the display that claims “Present all bookmarks.”
The choice is presently seen solely on the iOS app, however we will count on that Twitter will roll this out to Android and the online quickly.

Picture Credit: Twitter
Twitter quietly bans third-party clients
After cutting off prominent app makers like Tweetbot and Twitterific, Twitter quietly up to date its developer phrases to ban third-party clients altogether on January 19.
The “restrictions” part of Twitter’s developer agreement was up to date with a clause prohibiting “use or entry the Licensed Supplies to create or try and create a substitute or related service or product to the Twitter Functions.” Earlier within the week, Twitter mentioned that it was “implementing long-standing API guidelines” in disallowing purchasers entry to its platform however didn’t cite which particular guidelines builders had been violating.
In consequence, third-party Twitter purchasers started offloading their apps from App Stores.
Twitter now offers an annual Blue subscription
Customers now have an opportunity to get a reduction for $84/yr in the event that they buy an annual Blue subscription on the internet.
Twitter Blue, together with the brand new annual plan, is presently out there within the U.S., the U.Ok., Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Japan.

Picture Credit: Twitter
Twitter HQ furniture auctions
In an odd try and earn a living, Twitter is auctioning off surplus office furniture (public sale is now closed) that it doesn’t want anymore, now that hundreds of workers have both left the company or been laid off. While you’re quickly shedding advertisers and apparently not paying your rent, why not go for the hail mary?
Twitter makes algorithmic “For You” timeline the default
The corporate has tried to tug this stunt previously, solely to present the choice to change again to a chronological timeline after a lot of backlashes.
What’s totally different this time? The Elon Musk-led firm is now displaying each algorithmic and chronological feeds side-by-side. Customers can change between them by swiping on their cellphone screens. Till now, customers needed to faucet on the flicker icon within the top-right nook to change between the “Dwelling” and “Newest” timelines. Twitter is justifying its newest change by saying that customers can now simply swipe between the renamed “For You” and “Following” timelines.
- January 13: Twitter rolled out the dual-timeline replace to the online however at the moment the social community used to recollect your selection.
- January 20: The corporate made the “For You” feed default on the internet when customers first opened Twitter in a tab or refreshed the web page.
- January 24: Now, Twitter remembers your decisions once more.
- February 7: Twitter remembers your decisions once more on iOS and Android, too.
Now you can simply change between “For you” and “Following” on internet. Android coming quickly 👀
— Twitter Assist (@TwitterSupport) January 13, 2023
Twitter’s advanced search filters for mobile are said to be coming soon
Based on social media analyst Matt Navarra, Twitter’s superior search filters for cellular are coming quickly.
Right here’s what it seems like:
NEW! Twitter Superior Search characteristic on iOS is coming quickly 👀👇 https://t.co/ae56yE3JTU pic.twitter.com/xbQUpQJAlS
— Matt Navarra (@MattNavarra) January 4, 2023
Twitter lifts the political ad ban to bolster revenue
The corporate initially enforced the ban back in 2019. At the moment, it mentioned that “political message attain must be earned, not purchased.” Twitter charted a special path from different social networks like Fb and Instagram, which allowed political adverts.
Twitter’s announcement to elevate the political advert ban comes at a time when advertisers have been pulling back spending on the platform, and the corporate has been chopping down its internal revenue projections.
December 2022
Twitter Blue users can now upload 60-minute videos
On December 23, Twitter up to date the Twitter Blue page declaring that subscribers can now add 60-minute movies from the online at 1080p decision and 2GB in file measurement.
Twitter layoffs continue, impacting employees in public policy, engineering
Based on posts on Twitter and LinkedIn from a former public coverage worker on December 22, Twitter reduce half of its public coverage group.
Twitter additionally laid off some engineers in infrastructure through e mail on December 16. Throughout all of Twitter, it’s estimated that about 75% of workers have both chosen to depart or have been laid off since Elon Musk took possession of the corporate in October.
Twitter now displays stock and cryptocurrency prices directly in search results
To entry the brand new characteristic, customers have to only sort the greenback image adopted by the related ticker image, e.g. “$GOOG” or “$ETH” (minus the quote marks), within the search bar and Twitter will show the present worth. This additionally works with out utilizing the $ image in some situations, nevertheless it’s much less constant and doesn’t all the time return the inventory or crypto costs as requested.
If somebody desires to know extra particulars a couple of inventory or cryptocurrency, they will hit the “View on Robinhood” button.
$Cashtags, now with knowledge 📈
👀 $SPY 👇 pic.twitter.com/XgOK6gf02E
— Twitter Enterprise (@TwitterBusiness) December 21, 2022
Twitter now shows how many people view your tweets
A tweet’s View Depend can be seen to everybody, not simply the proprietor of the account.
“Twitter is rolling out View Depend, so you possibly can see what number of instances a tweet has been seen! That is regular for video,” Elon Musk wrote in a tweet. “Reveals how rather more alive Twitter is than it could appear, as over 90% of Twitter customers learn, however don’t tweet, reply or like, as these are public actions.”
Twitter Blue for Business now allows companies to identify their employees
Twitter’s product supervisor Esther Crawford said the social media platform is launching a pilot program for Blue for Enterprise with choose companies. The corporate plans to develop this to extra organizations subsequent yr.
We’re launching the pilot of Blue for Enterprise so starting right now you’ll begin seeing firm badges on choose profiles. We’ll quickly be increasing this system and stay up for having extra companies added within the new yr! https://t.co/ytnMRO5rcE
— Esther Crawford ✨ (@esthercrawford) December 19, 2022
Twitter goes on an account suspension spree, including prominent journalists
A day after Twitter crafted a brand new coverage to elucidate its choice to ban an account that tracks Elon Musk’s private jet, Twitter also suspended its open source competitor Mastodon from the service.
Inside the similar day, Twitter suspended plenty of distinguished journalists on the platform with out warning. “Identical doxxing guidelines apply to ‘journalists’ as to everybody else,” Elon Musk tweeted in a reply in regards to the journalists’ suspensions.
Twitter seemingly had a glitch that allowed banned customers to nonetheless take part in Twitter Areas. A bunch of the banned journalists began a gaggle dialog on Areas the place Musk himself joined in. Shortly after, Twitter pulled its Spaces group audio feature quickly.
Twitter shuts down Revue, its newsletter platform
Revue, the publication platform acquired by Twitter in January 2021, sent a message to newsletter writers on December 14 declaring, “We’ve made the troublesome choice to close down Revue.” Writers had till January 18, 2023 to retrieve their knowledge at the start was deleted.
Twitter disperses the Trust & Safety Council
Twitter dispersed the advisory group consisting of roughly 100 unbiased researchers and human rights activists from world wide. The council members acquired an e mail on Monday, December 12 from Twitter saying that the Belief & Security Council is “not one of the best construction” to get exterior insights into the corporate product and coverage technique.
Elon Musk says Twitter will remove all legacy verifications ‘in a few months’
Twitter will take away all legacy blue checkmarks “in a number of months,” Elon Musk tweeted on December 12. Earlier than Musk purchased Twitter, checkmarks had been used to confirm people and entities as lively, genuine and notable accounts of curiosity.
This previous week, many blue checkmark holders have been seeing a pop-up once they click on on their blue checkmark that reads, “This can be a legacy verified account. It might or will not be notable.”
Twitter Blue relaunches with new verification process, plus Blue for Business
Twitter is formally bringing again the Twitter Blue subscription on December 12, beginning in 5 international locations earlier than rapidly expanding to others. Twitter updated its terms to specify that users will need to verify their phone numbers earlier than buying the Twitter Blue subscription.
Net sign-ups will price $8 per 30 days and iOS signal ups will price $11 per 30 days for “entry to subscriber-only options, together with the blue checkmark,” per a tweet from the corporate account. Twitter Blue became available on Android on the similar worth as iOS in January 2023.
Along with the relaunch of Twitter Blue, the corporate additionally started rolling out a new offering called Blue for Business that provides a gold checkmark to firm accounts.
Twitter rolls out its Community Notes feature globally
Twitter introduced Neighborhood Notes, beforehand generally known as Birdwatch, are actually seen world wide. Neighborhood Notes is the social media large’s crowdsourced fact-checking system.
Moderators who’re a part of this system can add notes to tweets so as to add context and customers can then vote in the event that they decide the context to be useful. Previous to this world growth, Neighborhood Notes had been solely seen to customers within the U.S. Twitter added moderators from the U.Ok., Eire, Australia and New Zealand in January 2023.
Twitter announces charging $11 on iOS for Blue subscription to offset App Store fees
When Twitter launched its new subscription plan with a verification mark on November 9, it charged customers $7.99 per 30 days. In an try and offset App Retailer charges, Twitter is charging iOS customers $11 for the brand new subscription plan — although the Twitter Blue plan is on halt.
November 2022
Twitter’s Community Notes updated to better address ‘low quality’ contributions
The platform’s crowdsourced fact-checking system, Neighborhood Notes, are notes written by Twitter customers which are appended to tweets to supply additional clarification and context.
The Neighborhood Notes algorithm change includes scoring notes the place contributors clarify why a tweet shouldn’t be deemed deceptive.
Twitter announces a new multicolored verification system
Elon Musk declares that Twitter will tentatively roll out a brand new multicolored verification system the place corporations will get a gold checkmark, authorities officers will get a gray checkmark and the blue checkmark can be devoted to people even when they don’t seem to be celebrities. Meaning the blue checkmark can be used with legacy verified accounts and folk who purchase Twitter’s proposed $8 per month paid plan.
When you’re confused about all of the checkmarks, you’re not alone. Right here’s a quick guide on what every checkmark and badge means on Twitter.
Twitter Blue verification chaos ensues
On November 9, Twitter CEO Elon Musk floated adjustments to Twitter’s system for verifying person accounts, together with charging $8 per month for it. The social media firm seemingly started rolling out a brand new tier of Twitter Blue, its premium subscription service. Based on a tweet by Esther Crawford, a former product lead at Twitter, the brand new Twitter Blue plan wasn’t but dwell, however some customers noticed notifications as a part of a dwell take a look at.
The brand new Blue isn’t dwell but — the dash to our launch continues however some of us may even see us making updates as a result of we’re testing and pushing adjustments in real-time. The Twitter group is known. 🫡 New Blue… coming quickly! https://t.co/ewTSTjx3t7
— Esther Crawford ✨ (@esthercrawford) November 5, 2022
Twitter additionally launched grey-colored official checkmarks for notable accounts reminiscent of corporations and politicians. However inside hours of the launch, Elon Musk killed it. Crawford clarified that the gray “Official” labels are nonetheless going out as a part of the brand new Twitter Blue product.
The brand new $8 Twitter Blue plan started rolling out to iOS customers within the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the U.Ok with the one characteristic out there on the time being the blue “verified” checkmark. This precipitated a number of fake accounts pretending to be celebrities, manufacturers and in any other case influential individuals to create accounts and unfold misinformation.
The Twitter exodus begins with mass layoffs and exits
Elon Musk laid off 3,700 individuals from Twitter on November 3, virtually half its workers, shortly after finishing the acquisition. Twitter was sued in a category motion lawsuit in response to not giving workers advance discover of a mass layoff, alleging Twitter violated employee safety legal guidelines.
Every week later, Twitter reached out to some former workers to return as they had been laid off “by mistake.”
Along with layoffs, a round of executive departures additionally swept by means of the corporate. In Musk’s first email to his new staff, he talked about ending distant work and making the struggle towards spam a precedence.
October 2022
Elon Musk is revamping Twitter’s verification system
Twitter begins overhauling a brand new and costlier model of Twitter Blue, the platform’s paid plan, that may reportedly price $19.99 per 30 days and provides customers a verified badge. On the time, Twitter Blue price $4.99 per 30 days within the U.S.
Based on a report from The Verge, Twitter plans to take away verification badges from present holders in the event that they don’t pay for Twitter Blue inside 90 days of launching the brand new verification system.
Elon Musk officially owns Twitter
Elon Musk closed on his $44 billion acquisition of Twitter on October 27, 2022. The deal got here after months of legal drama, bad memes and will-they-or-won’t-they-chaos. After sealing the deal, Musk took Twitter private and commenced clearing house. On day one, he fired former CEO Parag Agrawal, CFO Ned Segal, Common Counsel Sean Edgett and Head of Authorized, Belief and Security Vijaya Gadde.
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