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Elon Musk announces relaunch date for Twitter Blue

Elon Musk has given his newly acquired company a bit of extra time to get “rock solid” on its Twitter Blue scheme by pushing back the launch.

Twitter’s blue tick disaster costs billions as Elon Musk’s major move backfires

Elon Musk has pushed back the launch of his controversial new Twitter Blue scheme after being bombarded with criticism following its announcement earlier this month.

The billionaire’s $8 ($A12.36) a month “premium” program will strip blue ticks from all non-paying users of the social media site in the coming weeks.

Musk announced on Wednesday he was now “Punting [the] relaunch of Blue Verified to November 29th to make sure that it is rock solid”.

“All unpaid legacy Blue checkmarks will be removed in a few months,” he added.

The move followed a period of turbulence for the world’s richest person following his $US44 billion takeover of the site.

Elon Musk has updated Twitter users on his Twitter Blue scheme. Picture: Brendan Smialowski/AFP
Elon Musk has updated Twitter users on his Twitter Blue scheme. Picture: Brendan Smialowski/AFP

He controversially sacked thousands of employees – about half the workforce – and earlier this week said he would be removing free lunches for remaining staff.

He has also hinted at banned Twitter users like Donald Trump potentially being allowed to return to the site under his ownership.

Under the new Twitter Blue scheme, users will be able to post longer videos and will have “priority ranking for quality content”.

Musk announced Twitter Blue would be launched at the end of the month. Picture: Twitter
Musk announced Twitter Blue would be launched at the end of the month. Picture: Twitter

Twitter Blue with verification is available on iOS in the US, Canada, New Zealand, Australia and the UK, according to the company.

“Trash me all day, but it’ll cost $8,” Musk tweeted earlier in November.

While Australian Twitter users can subscribe for a reduced $6.99 a month, it appears that not all features are available to Aussies.

In Australia, Twitter Blue customers can currently only edit their tweets and customise their navigation menus and app icons.

Other features like a revamped “news reading experience” and early access to editing tweets and NFT Profile Pictures are reportedly coming soon.

Read related topics:Elon Musk

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Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/technology/online/social/elon-musk-announces-relaunch-date-for-twitter-blue/news-story/79e46514e7997a68fd33e01c3626e321