The rumors were true: Facebook parent company Meta is preparing to launch a Twitter Blue-like subscription called Meta Verified. On Sunday morning, Mark Zuckerberg took to his newly launched broadcast channel to share the news. He said the subscription service would give users a blue badge, additional impersonation protection and direct access to customer support. "This feature is about increasing authenticity and security across our services," Zuckerberg said, adding Meta would test the subscription first in Australia and New Zealand before rolling it out to other countries. Meta Verified will cost $ 15 USD per month when users subscribe through the company's apps on iOS and Android. On the web, where app store commissions don't apply, the service will cost $ 12 USD per month. The subscription will cover both Instagram and Facebook accounts.
Users will need need to meet certain eligibility requirements before they can sign up for Meta Verified. Specifically, the company told Engadget the subscription will only be available to users 18 years or older. Meta will also require that potential subscribers share a government-issued ID that matches the profile name and photo on their Facebook or Instagram account. Once you're verified, you can't change your profile name, username, date of birth or photo without going through the verification process again. Accounts that were verified before today's announcement due to their notability will remain verified.
Alongside perks like a blue badge and increased visibility in search, Meta will provide Verified subscribers with 100 free stars, a digital currency they can use to tip creators on Facebook. The subscription also comes with access to exclusive stickers for use in Stories and Reels. Rumors that Meta was preparing to trial a paid verification service started to swirl at the beginning of February when reverse engineer Alessandro Paluzzi discovered code referencing "paid blue badge" and "identity verification." On early Sunday morning, social media consultant and former Next Web reporter Matt Navarra found that Meta had published an Instagram support page detailing the subscription, only to later take it down before Zuckerberg's Instagram post.
Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics
