Twitter is one of the world’s most popular social media platforms, with over 300 million monthly active users. However, not everyone is happy with the amount of ads that appear on their timelines, especially when they are irrelevant or intrusive. That’s why Twitter launched Twitter Blue, a premium subscription service that offers exclusive features and perks to its subscribers, including a blue checkmark on their account, Edit Tweet, Bookmark Folders, and more. One of the most anticipated features of Twitter Blue is Half ads, which promises to show approximately 50% fewer ads to Blue subscribers in the For You and Following timelines. This feature was announced by CEO Elon Musk back in November 2022 and finally rolled out in April 2023. But how does it actually work? And does it really reduce the number of ads by half? This article will explain everything you need to know about how Twitter Blue’s Half ads feature works and how it works for Blue subscribers.
Table of Contents
What is Twitter Blue?
Twitter Blue is a premium subscription service that elevates quality conversations on Twitter. Twitter Blue is an opt-in, paid subscription that adds a blue checkmark to your account and offers early access to select features, like Edit Tweet. Subscribe now with localized pricing starting at $8/month or $84/year in available countries to get the blue checkmark and early access to features https://help.twitter.com/en/using-twitter/twitter-blue.
Twitter Blue is designed for a specific segment of engaged users who want to enhance and customize their Twitter experience. These powerful controls are designed to help personalize Twitter and give early access to the newest features before they’re available to everyone. Share your feedback @TwitterBlue.
Twitter Blue includes a number of features to improve your experience on Twitter, such as:
- Edit Tweet: This highly requested feature gives you a 30-minute window to make a limited number of changes to published Tweets. Use it to make updates, tag someone, or reorder the media you attached. Edit Tweet currently only applies to original Tweets and quote Tweets.
- Bookmark Folders: Bookmark Folders let Twitter Blue subscribers group and organize Bookmarked Tweets into folders for faster discovery later. Twitter Blue allows you unlimited bookmarks and Bookmark Folders, which are always private.
- Custom app icons: With Custom App icons, you can change how your Twitter App icon displays on your phone. Choose from several colorful options. Check your settings regularly for new featured looks available for a limited time.
- NFT Profile Pictures: We’re adding NFTs as one of several ways to customize your Twitter profile so you can show off the NFTs you own in a hex-shaped profile picture on your Twitter account. After a temporary connection to your crypto wallet that allows you to set up an NFT as your profile picture, your digital asset displays in a special hexagon shape that identifies you as the owner of that NFT.
What is “Half ads”?
Half ads is one of the features of Twitter Blue that offers subscribers a way to see fewer ads on their timelines. According to Twitter’s support page.
Half ads works as follows:
- Half ads: See approximately 50% fewer ads in the For You and Following timelines. As you scroll, you will see approximately twice as many organic or non-promoted Tweets placed between promoted Tweets or ads.
- This feature does not apply to promoted content elsewhere on Twitter, including but not limited to ads on profiles, Tweet replies, events in Explore, promoted trends, and promoted accounts to follow.
In other words, Half ads only reduces the frequency of ads in two specific timelines: For You and Following. It does not affect any other app parts where ads may appear, such as lists, replies, profiles, etc. It also does not remove or block any ads completely; it just inserts more organic tweets between them.
How does Half ads work for Blue subscribers?
To use Half ads, you need to subscribe to Twitter Blue. You can subscribe to Twitter Blue by following these steps:
- Tap on More
- Tap Settings and privacy
- Tap Twitter blue
- Follow the prompts
Once you are subscribed to Twitter Blue, you will automatically see approximately 50% fewer ads in the For You and Following timelines. You do not need to enable or disable any settings to use Half ads; it is automatically applied to your account
- You can check if you are seeing Half ads by looking for a blue dot next to the ad label on promoted tweets
- You can still interact with ads as usual, such as liking, retweeting, commenting, or reporting them
- You can still see the full list of ads that have been shown to you by going to Settings and privacy > Privacy and safety > Twitter Ads > View your Twitter data > Interests and ads data > Ads you’ve seen
Does “Half ads” really show 50% fewer ads?
According to Twitter’s support page, Half ads shows approximately 50% fewer ads in the For You and Following timelines. However, this does not mean that you will always see exactly half as many ads as before. Twitter says there may be times when there are more or fewer tweets between ads, depending on various factors such as your location, device, network, etc.
Additionally, Half ads does not apply to any other parts of the app where ads may appear, such as profiles, replies, Explore, trends, etc. Therefore, you may still see many ads on Twitter even if you are a Blue subscriber using Half ads.
Is Half ads worth it?
Half ads is one of the features of Twitter Blue that may appeal to some users who want to see fewer ads on their timelines. However, whether it is worth it or not depends on several factors, such as:
• How much do you value seeing fewer ads on Twitter?
• How much are you willing to pay for a premium subscription service?
• How much do you use the other features and perks of Twitter Blue?
• How much do you care about having a blue checkmark on your account?
Twitter Blue is a completely opt-in experience, and these initial features were designed for a specific segment of engaged users. Ultimately our goal is to provide enough value through premium features that people feel that it is worth paying for. And we hope to offer fewer ads for Twitter Blue subscribers in the future.
FAQ
A: Half ads is one of the features of Twitter Blue that offers subscribers a way to see approximately 50% fewer ads in the For You and Following timelines. However, it does not apply to any other parts of the app where ads may appear, and it does not remove or block any ads completely.
A: According to Twitter’s support page, Half ads shows approximately 50% fewer ads in the For You and Following timelines. However, this does not mean that you will always see exactly half as many ads as before. Twitter says that there may be times when there are more or fewer tweets between ads, depending on various factors such as your location, device, network, etc.
A: “Half ads” does not apply to any other parts of the app where ads may appear, such as profiles, replies, Explore, trends, etc. Therefore, you may still see a lot of ads on Twitter even if you are a Blue subscriber using Half ads.
A: Twitter Blue is currently available in select countries around the world. You can check if it is available in your country by going to Settings and privacy > Account > Subscriptions. If you see an option to subscribe to Twitter Blue, it means that it is available in your country.
Conclusion
Twitter Blue’s Half ads feature is a perk that allows subscribers to see approximately 50% fewer ads in the For You and Following timelines. However, it does not apply to any other parts of the app where ads may appear and does not remove or block any ads completely. It also does not guarantee that you will always see exactly half as many ads as before. Therefore, Half ads may not be a significant feature for some users who want to see fewer or no ads on Twitter. However, it may be a nice bonus for some users who also enjoy the other features and perks of Twitter Blue, such as Edit Tweet, Bookmark Folders, NFT Profile Pictures, and more.
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