Indian iOS users can get ‘verified’ on Twitter by paying more than $8, but won’t get access to key features- Technology News, Firstpost

Mehul Reuben DasNov 11, 2022 14:56:09 IST

Indian iPhone and iPad users now finally have the option of buying their own “verified” badges, however, they will have to pay more for the privilege, as compared to people in the US. When Elon Musk announced that the price of Twitter Blue subscriptions would vary from country to country, based on PPP or purchasing power parity against the dollar. 

However, in India, the price for a Twitter Blue subscription has been priced higher than what it has been in the US. Users in the US are paying $7.99 for their subscription, which turns out to be Rs 646.20, when converted. However, users in India are being charged Rs 719 per month or $8.89.

The pricing in India was supposed to be much lower than this, around Rs 400-600. Although slim, there are chances that Twitter might just revise the price of Twitter Blue in India, some time down the line.

What’s worse, is the fact that users in India don’t have access to all the features that Twitter is offering Twitter Blue users in the US, at least not till the time this article was being written.

One key feature of Twitter Blue’s subscription, even before it was acquired by Elon Musk, was the ability it gave users to edit Tweets. Indian subscribers with Twitter Blue, are able to access the feature.

However, some of the other features that made paying for Twitter Blue worth it, isn’t accessible yet. For example, users are seeing about the same number of ads. What’s worse is that most of those ads are still irrelevant to users and their interests. 

Another feature that users in India don’t have is the priority in search results, mentions and replies that Musk had said users with a Twitter Blue tick would get.

It remains to be seen whether Indian users will be able to access news content that are behind the paywalls of certain publications that have teamed up with Twitter. This was also a key feature that Musk had highlighted when he was selling the idea of users paying $20 for their verified checks Twitter, before coming down to $8.

Meanwhile, Android users will still have to wait for a few more weeks at least, before they too get the privilege of buying their very own verified badge.