Recently, X (formerly Twitter) gave away complimentary premium subscriptions to several influential people who hadn"t signed up for the premium account based on the number of followers they had. This also gave these users a complimentary blue verification checkmark. Now, X has reportedly taken away the option to hide the blue checkmark from user profiles.
According to a fresh report by Engadget, X is sending notifications to its users that "the hide your checkmark feature of X Premium is going away soon." Here is a post shared by X user Nima Owji about this notification.
BREAKING: #X seems to be removing the ability to hide the verification checkmark! pic.twitter.com/1Kn2OU4puj
— Nima Owji (@nima_owji) April 11, 2024
This change comes soon after X started giving blue verification checkmarks to user profiles with at least 2,500 followers and a premium subscription. As per Elon Musk, the change was supposed to be a "perk," but not everyone is happy about it.
Some of the critics include users who are already verified. They weren"t pleased with the blue badge appearing on their accounts, which made it feel as if they were paying for a premium subscription. Because, originally, the blue checkmark was an indication to show that a profile is officially verified and belongs to a public figure such as a celebrity, politician, or journalist.
The blue checkmark was previously free and was awarded to a profile based on certain criteria. However, after Elon Musk"s takeover, Twitter became X, and several changes came into place, one of which was this checkmark being a part of the X Premium subscription.
Hence, the move had seemingly devalued the blue verification checkmark because now anyone can pay for it and get it on their profiles. Now, with the new update, users won"t be able to hide the blue checkmark from their profiles. The update is rolling out gradually, and you may not see it on your account immediately.