Checkmark

Welcome back to This Week in Apps, the weekly TechCrunch series that recaps the latest in mobile OS news, mobile applications and the overall app economy. The app economy in 2023 hit a few snags, as consumer spending last year dropped for the first time by 2% to $167 billion, according to data.ai’s “State of Mobile” report. However, downloads are continuing to grow, up 11% year-over-year in 2022, to reach 255 billion. Consumers are also spending more time in mobile apps than ever before. On Android devices alone,…

via Lionsgate The Twitter debacle continues to unravel online, as Elon Musk’s acquisition of the site — and his subsequent bungling of its actual management — sees users flee Twitter in droves.  Blue checkmarks are officially starting to disappear from established, formerly verified accounts, as longtime users refuse to pay Musk’s fee to maintain their former status. It’s causing mass confusion online, as legacy accounts lose their checkmarks and random strangers instead populate Twitter’s most visible spaces,…

Twitter CEO Elon Musk has revealed that he’s paying for a few celebrities on Twitter to keep their blue checkmarks. The chosen ones include LeBron James and William Shatner, who previously fumed about having to pay $8 a month and said they wouldn’t cough up the cash.Mr. Tweet Fumbles Super Bowl TweetOn Thursday—or 4/20, asMusk would gleefully remind us—legacy blue checkmarks for notable figures, including celebrities, journalists and politicians, largely disappeared from the accounts of those who had refused to pay $8…

If you ever thought Meta Verified was anything other than a money grab, this should change your mind. An unexpected thing happened on Instagram over the weekend. In hindsight, it shouldn’t have been unexpected. I’ve been using Insta since it finally became available on Android in April 2012, and for me, it’s mostly been an enjoyable experience. (That said, I’m spending more time with Glass and Vero, but that’s another thing for another time.) I’ve had a relatively high-profile job since those days, and Instagram has…

With Elon Musk set to from thousands of users who were verified under the company’s previous leadership, one Twitter alternative is hoping to lure some of those “legacy” checkmarks to its platform. , an invite-only service led by two former Twitter employees, says it will allow users to carry over their “legacy” Twitter verification to its site T2 is part of a of Twitter that have sprung up in the wake of Musk’s takeover. The platform is smaller than some more established rivals, like Mastodon, but is intent on…

Image Source : PIXABAY Your Twitter 'Blue Verification Checkmark' will be removed on April 1 Elon Musk has finally declared that Twitter will discontinue all the legacy Blue verified checkmarks for individuals and organisations from April 1. Those who would like to own a Blue tick in India will have to pay Rs 9,400 for a year to the company. Twitter Blue is globally…

Photo by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty ImagesTwitter is retiring its blue checkmarks for  "authentic, notable, and active" accounts, such as those for government figures, entertainers, athletes, activists, content creators, or journalists. Owner and CEO Elon Musk had claimed earlier that "Twitter's legacy Blue Verified is unfortunately deeply corrupted, so will sunset in a few months." Going forward, blue checkmarks will be reserved for Twitter Blue active subscribers. Also: Why is Twitter turning millions of…

Image: BigTunaOnline (Shutterstock)Tumblr created a shakeup in the digital world this week when it reported an 125% revenue increase from iOS in-app purchases—from what seemingly started out as a simple parody. The company introduced its double blue tick option which was initially meant to show that using subscriptions for verification serves no real purpose.But then something unexpected happened; Tumblr’s revenue surged. What started as a joke, turned real, as users began signing up for the blue tick subscription option…

It looks like more people might be willing to pay to be fake verified than actually verified on social media. As reported by TechCrunch, new data shows that revenue from Tumblr’s iOS app increased 125% since the company launched the double checkmark fake verification badge for user profiles on the platform, a parody directed towards Twitter, which now charges users $8 per month for Twitter Blue which includes verification. According to new data from app intelligence firm Sensor Tower provided to…

Twitter/Patrick StewartAs you can see, Sir Patrick has a legacy blue checkmark because if anyone can be considered to have authority online, it's the man who plays Captain (now Admiral) Picard. Before we move on, just a quick reminder that Patrick Stewart's Jean-Luc Picard will be back on Star Trek: Picard on February 16. I wasn't fully thrilled with the first two seasons, but I'm looking forward to seeing Geordi, Beverly, and Worf again after all this time. Also: The beginner's guide to the Star Trek: What to…