FILE - This April 26, 2017, file photo shows the Twitter app icon on a mobile phone in Philadelphia. Twitter said Thursday, July 11, 2019, that it is investigating a problem with its service. Users across the U.S. and elsewhere are not able to access Twitter. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)
Twitter Blue is available in the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
Associated Press
  • Twitter Blue is a subscription service that gives you the power to undo tweets, read news articles without ads, and more.
  • Signing up for Twitter Blue also unlocks Labs, a feature that lets you try out new features early.
  • You can sign up for Twitter Blue on your smartphone or computer for $2.99 per month.
  • Visit Insider's Tech Reference library for more stories.

It's become a meme for Twitter users to wonder how the website has stayed free for so long. And while it still costs nothing to make a Twitter account, getting the full Twitter experience isn't so free anymore.

Twitter Blue is a premium subscription service that can enhance your Twitter experience in a variety of ways. It's especially useful for users who use Twitter to find great articles or follow news stories. And after a long trial run in Australia and Canada, it's now available for all users in the United States and New Zealand.

Here are some of Twitter Blue's most important features, and a quick guide on how to sign up.

Twitter Blue's features

Blue's features make it easier to send tweets, as well as read them.

Undo tweets

Ever sent a perfect tweet, only to realize that there's a typo right in the first word? Twitter Blue can help with that.

Whenever you hit "Send" on a tweet, you'll have a few seconds to undo the tweet and edit it before anyone can see. The era of running to hide your typos is over.

A Twitter Blue advertisement showing how to undo tweets.
You'll have time to review your tweet and undo it, if need be.
Twitter

Find articles that are relevant to you and read them without ads

For a lot of people, Twitter is the go-to place for reading the news. Twitter Blue's "Top Articles" feature tracks which articles your followers have shared the most over the last day, and pushes them to the top of your timeline. It's a great way to catch up on the latest news without scouring through hundreds of tweets.

A Twitter Blue advertisement showing "top articles."
You'll also see how many times it's been shared in your feed.
Twitter

Additionally, iOS and desktop users can read articles from sites like The Washington Post, The Atlantic, and even Insider without ads. And a portion of the money Twitter earns from every Twitter Blue subscription will go towards supporting these publishers.

Test out new features with Twitter Blue Labs

Sites like Twitter generally don't roll out new changes without testing them first. You can be part of the testing process by heading to Twitter Blue's Labs page.

On the Labs page, you'll find new "experimental" features that Twitter is considering rolling out to everyone. Any Blue subscriber can enable the features for their account and start using them right away.

The features here will change regularly - as of this writing, you can test out pinning DMs to the top of your inbox and uploading videos up to 10 minutes long. And even if features show up on this page, there's no guarantee that they'll ever be released publicly.

How to sign up for Twitter Blue

Twitter Blue costs $2.99 per month in the United States, and you can sign up from the iPhone app, Android app, or desktop website.

1. Open Twitter and log into your account, if you haven't already.

2. In the smartphone apps, tap your profile picture in the top-left corner; on the desktop site, click More in the left sidebar.

3. Select Twitter Blue.

The Twitter Blue option in the left sidebar of the Twitter app.
Select the "Twitter Blue" option.
Twitter; William Antonelli/Insider

4. Click Subscribe for $2.99/month and enter your payment information, or pay with your Apple ID or Google Play account.

The page that lets you sign up for Twitter Blue.
The page that lets you sign up for Twitter Blue.
Twitter; William Antonelli/Insider

Once your payment goes through, head back to Twitter. You'll be logged into Twitter Blue.

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