Twitter plans to charge $11 per month for a Twitter Blue subscription on iPhone to account for the 30 percent discount Apple is taking on in-app purchases, reports The information. On the web, Twitter Blue costs $7 per month.
Before Twitter Blue was paused, Twitter charged $7.99 for a subscription, but prices will change before it relaunches. According to The informationsome employees have been informed of the new pricing, but Elon Musk, CEO of Twitter, is known for making quick decisions, so it’s not yet clear if plans may change.
The higher price of the iPhone allows Twitter to offer Apple its 30 percent discount on in-app purchase revenue without significantly impacting Twitter’s bottom line. The price difference is likely to encourage most customers to subscribe to the web, allowing Twitter to avoid in-app purchase fees.
Other companies like Spotify have historically charged higher prices on the iPhone than on the web, but this often leads to confusion among consumers who don’t understand why prices vary by device. Apple has no problem with companies charging more for subscriptions in apps than on the web.
Twitter Blue’s price changes come after a brief dispute between Twitter and Apple. Musk last week criticized Apple’s App Store charges, claiming that Apple had “threatened to keep Twitter out of its App Store,” but later backtracked on that statement after meeting with Apple CEO Tim Cook.
Musk and Cook met at Apple Park, and afterwards Musk said they had a “good conversation” and that there had been a “misunderstanding” about Twitter possibly being removed from the App Store.
Twitter plans to relaunch Twitter Blue on Friday. Twitter Blue subscriptions were paused after Musk placed a verification checkmark on Twitter Blue, allowing companies, celebrities, and other high-profile individuals to impersonate anyone with $8 to spend. Twitter Blue is no longer available since November 11.
With the relaunch, Twitter Blue is expected to include different badge colors for businesses, government accounts, and individuals, as well as restrictions on username changes and login limits for newer accounts.