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Elon Musk announces more changes to X and responds to claims user numbers have dropped

Elon Musk announces more changes to X and responds to claims user numbers have dropped

Some accounts will be granted access to Premium features for free.

Tech billionaire Elon Musk has announced further changes to his social media platform X that will grant certain accounts premium features for free.

Musk announced on the platform, formerly known as Twitter, that accounts with 'more than 2,500 verified subscriber followers' will have access to extra features that usually cost $8 (£6.30) a month.

Premium features include the ability to write longer posts, as well as reducing the number of adverts displayed to the user.

Additionally, account holders will receive a verified blue tick next to their display name.

Subscriptions offer users a way to make money by providing their followers access to exclusive content.

ALAIN JOCARD / Contributor / Getty
ALAIN JOCARD / Contributor / Getty

Furthermore, the SpaceX owner added that those with 5,000 or more verified subscribers will also get access to X's Premium+ features for free.

Premium+ is the next tier up costing $16 (£12.60) a month in which loyal users can access Grok, an AI model that is intended to 'answer almost anything'.

However some users are confused by the specifics of the criteria, for example whether the changes refer to followers as well or just subscribers, and whether those subscribers need to already be signed up for Premium.

Others asked: 'Is there going to be an indicator somewhere that tells us how many blue tick followers we have?'

The announcement comes on the back of X's decline in active users, which X denies.

'Both our own data and self-reported data from other platforms tells a different story,' a spokesperson for X stated.

According to data from research firm Sensor Tower, worldwide daily users of X's mobile app dropped to 174 million in February, marking a 15% decrease from the previous year.

Matt Cardy / Contributor / Getty
Matt Cardy / Contributor / Getty

Moreover, X currently reported 250 million daily users this past month which is down from the 258 million total which was around the time Musk claimed the firm.

In contrast, platforms like Instagram, Facebook and TikTok, have experienced 'modest' user growth over the past year.

'This decline in X mobile app active users may have been driven by user frustration over flagrant content, general platform technical issues, and the growing threat of short-form video platforms,' Sensor Tower senior analyst Abe Yousef said.

The Tesla CEO was recently in an interview with former CNN anchor Don Lemon in which he explained his reasoning behind free speech on X, saying that posts are only deleted if they are illegal, which has caused a divide in the online community.

Featured Image Credit: ALAIN JOCARD / Contributor / Matt Cardy / Contributor / Getty