According to a report by the Reuters news agency, Twitter Inc.’s Blue verified service will launch on Friday but will only be available on Apple’s iOS mobile operating system. According to a person briefed on the plans, the Information reported on Tuesday.
The source stated that Twitter would upgrade its Android app after receiving Apple’s approval, since the firm intended to introduce the subscription offering via an update to Twitter’s iOS app.
This occurs a day after Elon Musk, the new owner, claimed in a series of tweets that Apple had halted advertising on the social media network and threatened to ban Twitter from its app store without providing any justification.
The billionaire CEO of Twitter and Tesla claimed Apple was putting pressure on Twitter regarding requirements for content moderation.
The App Store, run by Apple, is a crucial entry point for Twitter users. More than 1.5 billion devices worldwide will be inaccessible to Musk’s company if it loses access to that.
The Cupertino, California-based corporation meets with Twitter once a week to discuss various topics, just like it does with Facebook and Instagram and other other social networking platforms. Because Apple doesn’t advertise on Facebook, it has previously depended extensively on Twitter.
Since Musk purchased Twitter for $44 billion last month, a number of prominent corporations have reduced their spending on Twitter advertising, including Apple. General Mills Inc. and Pfizer Inc. have left, and he has previously recognised that the revenue suffered a “huge reduction” as a result.
Although the online advertising industry as a whole is struggling, advertisers are particularly apprehensive of Twitter due to concerns that it is growing more chaotic. Musk has eliminated thousands of staff at Twitter since the takeover, raising worries that the social media site won’t be able to stop hate speech and disinformation. A new method of user verification allowed trolls to pose as well-known companies and Musk himself.
Musk, 51, is attempting to wean Twitter off of advertising by encouraging users to subscribe to its Blue service. However, its $5.1 billion in revenue last year came from advertising services, with a significant portion coming from Apple.
Beginning with one that stated that Apple has “mostly stopped advertising on Twitter,” a bombardment of tweets attacking the business followed.” Do they hate free speech in America, asked Musk?”
He then directed a tweet at Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook: “What’s going on here?” A few minutes later, he claimed that Apple might boot Twitter from its app store “but won’t tell us why.”
Longtime Apple employee Phil Schiller, who is in charge of the app store, cancelled his Twitter account earlier this month. Eyes were raised by the timing. Immediately following the removal of former President Donald Trump from the platform following the attack on the US Capitol in January 2021, Musk restored Trump’s account.
Musk had previously stated that he would form a content council to decide whether to reactivate Trump’s account, but he ultimately acted on the basis of the results of a Twitter vote. Paskalis remarked, “He says the right things, but he does the wrong things and that’s almost worse,” Paskalis said.
Since Musk’s takeover, Apple’s Cook has continued to use Twitter for personal purposes. Last week, he said on Facebook, “wishing everyone a happy day for Thanksgiving.”
Musk has already tweeted that he will create a different phone that is compatible with the platform if Twitter is taken off of the Apple and Google app stores. Both proponents and opponents of the concept have started referring to it as the “Tesla phone.”
