Twitter will start removing the coveted blue ticks from legacy verified accounts from tomorrow, April 1. The microblogging platform announced last week that it is “winding down” its legacy verified program and advised users to sign up for Twitter Blue, its paid subscription program. This means that the accounts that received the blue checkmark as per Twitter's old verification criteria will lose the badge next month.

How can you retain your blue tick?

If your Twitter account was verified before the introduction of Twitter Blue, then you can retain your blue tick by buying the subscription plan. “To keep your blue checkmark on Twitter, individuals can sign up for Twitter Blue,” the Elon Musk-owned platform said.

The microblogging platform describes Twitter Blue as its “premium subscription service that elevates quality conversations on Twitter”. It was launched in India in February this year.

In India, users can buy a monthly subscription plan of Twitter Blue for ₹ 650 and an annual plan for ₹ 6,800.

What are legacy verified accounts?

According to Twitter, verified legacy accounts are “active, notable, and authentic accounts of public interest” which were independently verified by Twitter as per its old verification criteria. But since Elon Musk rolled out Twitter Blue, anyone who pays a subscription fee can get the sought-after blue tick mark next to their profile's name.

Now, from April 1, even legacy verified account holders will have to pay the subscription fee to retain the blue checkmark.

What are the benefits of subscribing to Twitter Blue?

Besides the blue tick, Twitter Blue subscribers get some additional features. These include edit tweet, which allows users to edit their Twitter posts within 30 minutes, custom app icons, NFT profile pictures, bookmark folders, and space.

By paying the fee, you can make longer tweets of up to 4,000 characters and upload files of size up to 2 GB or of a maximum duration of 60 minutes.