Twitter/X will now let users stop unverified accounts from replying to their posts, in case that was something you wanted to do. If it is, you're probably in the minority.
The official X account announced the change on Wednesday by posting an image of the platform's updated reply limitation menu. Now instead of just being able to restrict replies to "everyone," "accounts you follow," and "only accounts you mention," there is a new fourth option: "verified accounts."
Select that option, and only people who are paying Twitter/X's $8 per month X Premium subscription fee will be able to respond to your tweet.
SEE ALSO: Twitter/X testing three new paid tiers in an effort to stop losing moneyThe change has already rolled out across both mobile and PC, so if you don't already have it you probably will soon. If you do have it, it's just one more feature you can ignore.
This new category of response restrictions is Twitter/X's latest effort to make X Premium seem appealing without actually adding anything of value.
Restricting replies to accounts a user follows or mentions is a useful tool that can help prevent or minimise harassment. Restricting replies to users with a paid subscription literally just means other people have to pay Elon Musk to talk to you.
Numerous users have noted that Twitter/X's update would be much more appreciated if it were reversed, allowing everyone except verified accounts to reply.
Billionaire Elon Musk abolished unpaid verification after buying Twitter/X almost exactly a year ago. Instead he made verification badges available for purchase as part of a paid X Premium subscription (previously Twitter Blue), immediately rendering them meaningless and prone to exploitation. Verification badges have since become a digital L on users' foreheads, marking them as a sucker who pays for Twitter.
The platform has spent months trying to convince users to pay for Twitter/X, with Musk even floating the idea of charging every single user a mandatory monthly fee. Unfortunately for him, any user who isn't already subscribed at this point is more likely to abandon the site than begin shelling out cash for it.
