Twitter Blue for Android: how to get the subscription on your Android phone

Signups in the Android app are “coming soon” but you can still sign up on the web

Image credit: Wes Davis / The Shortcut

➡️ The Shortcut Skinny: Twitter Blue’s clues

• Signups for Twitter Blue relaunch, but only for iOS and the web

• Good news: Android users can sign up on the web

• All features will still be available in Android Twitter app

• No mention of pricing for signups through the app yet

Twitter Blue for Android is going to be available today, even though it looks like the subscription service is limited to iOS and the web. Android users can enjoy many of the same benefits of the Twitter Blue relaunch with a quick workaround. Here’s how:

1. Log into Twitter via your preferred browser on your favorite Android phone

2. Tap your profile picture in the upper left corner of the screen

3. Tap the option labeled “Twitter Blue” 

4. When signups are ready, you’ll see a button to continue. Tap that and follow the prompts

Once signup is finished and you’re verified, you’ll be able to enjoy all the benefits of Twitter Blue across all platforms, including the Android app, at least that’s according to Twitter Head of Product Esther Crawford:

Esther Crawford ✨ @esthercrawford

@MuskOx1953 @alx @TwitterBlue you'll be able to pay on the web and access features on Android – down the line we'll bring purchasing to Android too

The Twitter Blue for Android benefits include 1080p video uploads, a long-promised reader mode, tweet editing and a blue checkmark. Down the line, the company also promises fewer ads (it once offered no ads at all to Blue subscribers), longer video posts, and preferential treatment by the site’s visibility and search algorithms.

Can you get Twitter Blue in the Android app?

No, not yet, but Android users can still sign up for the service through the web. Sign ups through the Google Play Store’s Twitter Android app are expected later, but no information about pricing has been announced. However, the company has stated it will charge $11 per month for iOS users.

The higher price is to offset Apple’s 30% fee, taken from all in-app purchases, following some criticism by owner Elon Musk, who decried it as a tax on user purchases. Musk has said little of Google’s policy of charging 15% up to a developer’s first million dollars, then 30% afterwards, a threshold Twitter could well end up crossing, since a November 18 tweet about the duopoly. It would nevertheless be cheaper than paying Apple’s fee – I doubt very much Twitter qualifies for Apple’s App Store Small Business Program discount.