Twitter users with the prized checkmark once proudly displayed that blue badge as a sign that they were verified and somehow more special than mere mortal tweeters. But now the checkmark apparently has seen better days. Twitter, aka X, is now letting you hide it so that others can’t tell if you’re a Blue subscriber.
In a new update to the help page for Twitter Blue (now known as X Blue), the list of features bestowed to subscribers includes an option to hide the checkmark on your account, which means it won’t pop up on your profile or your posts.
Also: 5 reasons to try Twitter rival Bluesky
The page cautions that the badge may still show up in certain spots, thereby revealing that you’re an active subscriber. It also warns that certain features may not be available if you hide the checkmark but didn’t specify which ones might be affected.
How to hide the checkmark
You can give the checkmark the heave-ho either through the website or the mobile app. On the website, click the More button, select Blue, and then click Preferences. Select the option for Early access to select new features and then tap Profile customization. Check the box for Hide your blue checkmark.
In the mobile app, tap your profile icon, select Blue, and then tap Preferences. Select the option for Verification, tap Blue Checkmark, and then turn on the switch for Hide your blue checkmark.
Why hide the checkmark?
Since the blue checkmark was once considered a badge worthy of acclaim, why hide it? Well, in the olden days of Twitter, people used the checkmark to legitimately verify their accounts. Celebrities and other public figures would want to be verified to distinguish their accounts from fake or parody ones. But now with an Elon Musk-owned Twitter, anyone can verify their account just by shelling out $8 a month or $84 a year. So the checkmark isn’t so special anymore.
Also: How to join and use Twitter rival Bluesky Social
In fact, being a Blue subscriber may actually now be looked upon more as a sign of shame than a sign of acclaim. Musk has been aggressively pushing people toward Blue subscriptions by limiting or restricting certain features for free users. Verified users can read as many as 10,000 posts per day, while unverified users can read only 1,000 and new unverified users just 500. Plus, unverified users will have daily limits on the number of direct messages they can send.
With Musk creating a type of barrier between Blue users and free users, the blue checkmark could be interpreted as a signal that you buy into his tactics to drum up more subscribers. Of course, I’m sure that’s not why the company has kicked off this option. But that could prove to be the reason some Blue subscribers take advantage of it.
An email to the company asking why it implemented this option triggered a response that simply said, “We’ll get back to you soon.”
