Significant changes to the Twitter Blue Check signup process are coming per Elon Musk, as legacy accounts must use the new signup.
Elon Musk gave Twitter an official response to its blue checkmark controversy. He said he would remove the checkmarks from his tweets within “a few months” but did not say when they would return.
He Tweeted Tuesday that he’s postponing the new Blue check feature, the company’s new premium service, which comes at $8 per month, until Nov. 29 “to ensure it is completely, 100% done.”
Users who thought they would keep their verified status no longer need to pay for it.
“All unpaid Blue Checkmarks will be removed from Twitter in a few months,” he said. Unfortunately, users will need to complete a new signup process after the changes are done.
The checkmark signup page was unavailable Friday after the company’s systems were overwhelmed by a flood of fake account approvals.
With the new verification system, anyone can receive a blue tick if they pay for it. Previously, only people who the approvals team approved could be given blue ticks.
Watch Out For Fake Twitter Blue Check Signups
A fake account pretending to be the pharmaceutical firm Eli Lilly & Co. posted a tweet claiming that “insulins are free,” which forced the Indianapolis drugmaker to issue an official statement apologizing for the incident.
Other big names, including Nintendo, Lockheed Martin, Elon Musk’s Tesla and SpaceX, and even some professional athletes and politicians, had their accounts changed too.
Adding to the confusion, Twitter now has two types of blue checkmarks—one for verified users who subscribe to the service and one for verified users who don’t subscribe.
Twitter is heavily reliant on advertising, so watching how the new Twitter Blue signup process goes after the rollouts are completed from Musk, and the company will be interesting.