After months of speculation, Twitter has rolled out its long-anticipated premium subscription service, though U.S. users will have to wait a while longer before they can sign up.
Twitter Blue is launching first in Canada and Australia, at a price of $3.49 per month in Canada and $4.49 in Australia. (That’s $2.88 and $3.44 in U.S. dollars, respectively.)
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The service will feature a range of new offerings based on things people have asked for. One add-on is an “undo” function that allows people to preview tweets before they send them, giving them a chance to make changes. It’s not quite an edit button, something people have repeatedly clamored for, but it’s as close as Twitter has come to date.
“We took this feedback to heart, and are developing and iterating upon a solution that will give the people who use Twitter the most what they are looking for: access to exclusive features and perks that will take their experience on Twitter to the next level,” the social media site said in a blog post.
Twitter Blue users will have access to a Bookmarks folder, letting them organize saved content. There’s also a new viewing experience called “reader mode,” which converts long threads into easy-to-read text blocks.
While Twitter Blue might be Twitter’s first in-house subscription service, it’s not the first for-pay option the company has introduced. Just days ago, it announced a partnership with a new premium local weather service called Tomorrow that will carry a $10 per month charge. Twitter first telegraphed its interest in premium services in February when it gave an outline for a potential product that would let people charge followers for special content or experiences. The company is also considering letting people “tip” their favorite posters.
Right now, there’s no information on a U.S. launch date for Twitter Blue, but the company did imply more markets are coming.
“We will be listening to feedback and building out even more features and perks for our subscribers over time,” it wrote. “As always, we’ll be keeping you updated as we progress right here, so be sure to check back in…And for those wondering, no, a free Twitter is not going away, and never will. This subscription offering is simply meant to add enhanced and complementary features to the already existing Twitter experience for those who want it.”
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