Twitter Inc has said it would price Twitter Blue subscription for Android at $11 per month, the same as for iOS subscribers, while offering a cheaper annual plan for web users when compared to monthly charges.
The blue check mark, previously free for verified accounts of politicians, famous personalities, journalists and other public figures, will now be open to anyone prepared to pay.
It was rolled out last year to help Twitter grow revenue as owner Elon Musk fights to retain advertisers, a Reuters report stated.
Google’s Android users will be able to purchase Twitter Blue’s monthly subscription for $11, the same price as for Apple’s iOS users, Twitter said on its website on Wednesday.
The higher pricing for Android users is likely to offset fees charged by Android’s Google Play Store, like Apple’s App Store.
The annual plan for subscription to Blue, only available on the web, was priced at $84, a discount to the monthly web subscription price of $8.
Twitter, which made the announcement on Wednesday, did not respond to a request from Reuters for comment on its Android pricing strategy.
The discount for web users would be available in countries including the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Japan, New Zealand and Australia, Twitter said.
Earlier in December, Musk added that Twitter’s basic blue tick will have half the number of advertisements and the social media platform will offer a higher tier with no advertisements by next year.
Meanwhile, Twitter Inc plans to lay off 50 workers in the social media site’s product division in the coming weeks, news site Insider reported on Wednesday, citing two people familiar with the company, according to Reuters.
The layoffs, which come six weeks after top boss Elon Musk reportedly told staff that there would not be further retrenchment, could reduce the company’s headcount to under 2,000, according to the report.