Twitter plans to change pricing for its Twitter Blue subscription product from $7.99 (approx. Rs. 700) to $7.99 (approx. Rs. 700) if users pay through the website, and to $11 (about its iPhone app, the information reported Wednesday, citing a person briefed on the plans.
The move was likely a backlash against the 30 percent cut Apple takes revenue from apps on its operating system, the report said with lower prices for the site, more users are likely to be driven to that platform rather than signing up on theirs iPhones.
There was no mention of whether prices would change for that Android platform as well.
Last week, Musk accused Apple threatens suspension Twitter from its app store without stating the reason in a series of tweets, which also indicated that it had stopped advertising on the social media platform.
In the first quarter of 2022, Apple was the top advertiser on Twitter, spending $48 million (about Rs.3.9 billion) and accounting for more than 4 percent of total revenue for the period, the Washington Post reported, citing an internal source Twitter document.
Among the list of complaints Musk tweeted was the up to 30 percent fee Apple charges software developers for in-app purchases.
He also posted a meme implying that he was willing to “go to war” with Apple rather than pay the commission.
The fee has drawn criticism and lawsuits from companies such as Epic Gamesthe manufacturer of Fourteen dayswhile attracting the attention of regulators around the world.
The commission could weigh in on Musk’s attempts to boost Twitter subscription revenue, in part to offset the exodus of advertisers over content moderation concerns.
Musk later met Apple CEO Tim Cook at the company’s headquarters and later tweeted that the misunderstanding arises over Twitter’s removal from Apple’s App Store was resolved.
Twitter and Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
© Thomson Reuters 2022
