X, formerly Twitter, turns free TweetDeck into paid subscription service

By Ovunc Kutlu

ISTANBUL (AA) - Social network X, formally known as Twitter, on Wednesday turned the free TweetDeck application into a paid subscription service.

The application is now called XPro and has become part of the company's paid Blue subscription.

When users try to log in to the application, they are prompted with a subscription option that reads: "Blue subscribers with a verified phone number will get a blue checkmark once approved."

The application requires a blue checkmark verification that costs $84 per year for subscription.

The company announced in July 4 that it was planning to introduce the new TweetDeck and turn it into a Blue-exclusive option, which received mixed reactions from the social media community, managers and journalists.